


PainKiller

by Moonlitgems



Series: PainKillers [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Attempted Murder, Black Humor, Blunt force truama, Burying of Corpses, Car Accidents, Disposing of evidence, Drug Use, Drugs, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fist Fights, Guns, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, M/M, Medical Drugs, Mentally unstable characters, Minor Character Death, Murder, Murderers, O.C.ness, Obsessive Behavior, Out of Character, Physical Abuse, Psychosis, Roadtrip, Serial Killers, Sexual Content, Shooting Guns, Shootings, Stalking, Strangers to Friends, Unreliable Narrator, Violence, Violent Death, Violent Deaths, Yandere character, Yangire and Yandere falling in love, Yangire character, corpse burning, creative killings, disposing of dead bodies, implied kidnappings, kidnappings, other characters will be added as I go, serial killer au, stabbings, unnatural attaction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-05-31 20:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6486151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlitgems/pseuds/Moonlitgems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were both just heading in the same direction and ended up going together in the same car. He wasn't supposed to become attached but the way that his blue eyes twinkled and stood out against the red stains on his face, it was something that Eren wasn't prepared for. Luckily for him, he had found an asset for his mission for the sake of Humanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

# FIRST PILL

 

The car sputtered and groaned as he pulled off on to a side road, wishing he'd never stopped that worthless piece of shit earlier that week. It ate gas like a gluttonous wraith and hardly gave him the miles he needed to achieve to remain on schedule.

“Come on. Come on!” He groaned slamming his hands onto the steering wheel. It made a loud clunking noise and jerked slightly before slowly continuing on. “No.” He breathed in, his eyes going wide in shock as he did it again. It was not something he wanted to happen. It could last a few more miles, he practically begged that it would. Hitting the steering wheel, he let out an animalistic screech, that could put a pterodactyl to shame, as the vehicle slid to a stop and let out a pitiful groan.

“Fucking-shit! God damn it all to hell and let the walls come down.” He screamed, slamming his hands repeatedly against the steering wheel. He then sat there seething in a rage at his bad luck.

He had no idea how to figure out what was wrong with a car, let alone fix it. Nor did he wish to obtain the assistance of a traveler, not that he'd find anyone in this desolate wasteland of forest and trees. It was the exact reason he traveled this road in the first place. He would be lucky if he could find a ride to the next town to jack a ride, or if the driver was one of 'Them', he'd just take their car.

“Fuck it,” He shouts throwing the vehicle into park and kicking the door open. “Only one Goddamned thing to do.” He grumbled, running his hands through his messily cropped brown locks before pulling a ball cap on.

He then began the tedious task of wiping and sweeping the car down. Everything from the rear view mirror to under the backseat. Even inside the trunk. He was taking no chances in this loser car shitting on him in the future. There was too much invested in his mission and he wasn't going to let anything screw it up.

Once he was done with that he grabbed the several gas canisters, he'd taken out of the vehicle, while cleaning. Meticulously, he began to distribute the gasoline on and inside the vehicle. Making sure that it was properly soaked in before he pulled out a box of matches and lit the entire pack.

“Goodbye, you piece of shit.” He said tossing the burning matches into the car, watching as the gasoline burst into flames. He moved back to hide in the trees as he watched the fire spread through the car. He waited until the flames hit the gas tank and blew before he turned and began walking away, carrying his solitary bag of supplies.

He walked, sometimes ran, through the woods for a good half a day. The further he got from the vehicle, before he settled down for the night, the better it would be for him and his mission. He could have walked along the road and maybe gotten a ride, but he did not want anyone to connect him to the torched car. The mission for humanity could not risk any of his foolish mistakes. No, he would complete his mission, he had to complete it.

Just as he thought that he came across a dirt road and looked up and down it, intending to cross it. That was when he'd seen a car coming down the road, pulling to a stop. He hid in the trees, staying low, watching them sit in their car, looking at some sort of paper.

A map, he presumed. The distance was far enough, he felt safe to lean back and observe. If the driver was like him, then he could just let him go or even ask for a lift. If he wasn't, then he would most indefinably claim the ride as his own and leave the filth behind, where it belonged.

It took a few moments but he saw the driver door open and step out. He study the driver. A male, shorter than him, dirty blond hair that was roughly cropped at his shoulders, maybe slightly layered but hard to tell from the distance. He wore simple clothing, nothing too expensive or noticeable; a white button up and khaki pants.

Human, Eren decided watching the young man storm around the car to his trunk. He went back there and seemed to be doing something in the back. It slightly intrigued his interest to the point that he began to approach the car.

That was when the man looked around the popped trunk as if he could sense him. With hawk-like eyes he seemed to size Eren up causing the other to pause to gauge the situation. He vaguely wondered if he'd been wrong and that the guy was not human but in fact one of Them. That thought quickly faded away when a strikingly warm smile spread across the blond's face as he disappeared behind the lid before shutting the trunk. He moved back around to the side of the car and spoke in a polite tone, a bit of an accent he wasn't familiar with, dancing along his words.

“Hey, need a ride?”

A smile itched to form on his lips. He didn't even have to ask the guy and the offer was already there. It was going to be that simple with this person. They'd just give him a ride and he'd be on his way. He just needed to get to where he needed to go and then he'd be one step closer to completing his mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my friend PhantomRider showed me this post about a serial killer picking up a hitch hiking serial killer and them becoming best friends and shit, this idea just sort of exploded into my head. It was just a short pilot chapter, now it's a series, look forward to it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I have decided to make it a series. The number of chapter may change as I go, depending on how the story progresses. Right now I have 25 chapters planned out. That may increase or decrease depending on Armin and Eren, hahaha. But I am still working on it. It just took so long cause of life and needing to rewrite the second part so it'd work for a series, since it was originally a two-shot.

# SECOND PILL

 

He was very upset.

Not that it was hard to upset him. It had always been easy to upset him, even if he rarely showed it. But for Armin this particular situation was one to show it for. The route the Doctor had, so painstakingly, planned out had been disrupted by construction, after all. This caused them to take a side road, which lead them to get hopelessly lost. Because of this, he was now parked, in the middle of no where, attempting to figure out where he was and how to get back on track.

It was frustrating. It took the time that was already limited and shortening it by two whole days. He should be in Karanese by now, but here he was sitting on some back road, miles away from his check point. Time was running out, he had to get to Trost as soon a possible. If not the Doctor would be angry. He was afraid of the Doctor, when he was angry.

It didn't help that his companion was getting sick. It perplexed Armin, he couldn't understand what was causing the sickness. So, he knew he had to get to Trost, the Doctor said he had 'friends' in Trost, so surely they would help them. He could trust the Doctor's friends to take care of them. He just needed to get to Trost.

“This should do it.” He said, studying the map, he had splayed in front of him. It had taken him a good half hour but he finally figured out their new route. It would take a day to get back on the right road, but it was the quicker than any of the other routes. If he did this, he could get back on track with only three days taken off the Doctor's previous plans. “I hate construction.” He sighed, leaning back against his seat, running a hand through silky but poorly died blond hair.

It caused him to let out a pitiful sigh, he missed his natural blond hair. The Doctor had said, he wanted it black, so it was dyed black, though. Once he was in Trost, though, he'd be able to dye it back properly. That was the Doctor's promise after all. He stared up at the gray car ceiling while scratching absentmindedly at the hospital band, he'd not bothered to take off. “It's just an extra couple of days.” He told himself, shifting slightly as he began to fold up the map. As he was placing the map into the glove box there was a quiet bang from the back, startling him.

It was a low, but loud thud, from the back. When it happened again and was followed with a pitiful groan, he smiled. The Doctor was awake and that just made his day a bit brighter. He hadn't got to spend any time with him earlier that day because they were in town, but now they were in the middle of nowhere. They could have as much alone time as he wanted.

“Good Morning, Doctor.” He spoke loudly, as he twisted his body around to grab a red cooler from the back seat. “I'm sorry to say, we'll be an extra few days.” While he explained to his companion as to what happened, he pulled out a syringe and a small vile from the cooler. While his companion continued to bang against the trunk of the car and letting out weak screams-like groans, he filled the needle. “I know. I know, but don't worry, we'll be in Trost soon.” He said smiling at the syringe as he flicked the air bubbles out. “I can't wait to see the apartment you picked out for us.” He added opening the car door.

He then proceeded to get out of the car and move toward the trunk. As he walked along the side of the vehicle he calmly knocked his knuckle against the roof. The noise in the trunk silenced as he did so and Armin couldn't help but laugh softly. The Doctor was a wonderful person, to teach him this, so sweet and kind. It had taught Armin when to be quiet and when he was allowed to speak, so naturally, the Doctor could do the same.

The Doctor was a light in the dark place that was the hospital he'd been locked up in for the past few years. The man was so kind to him, telling him off when he needed to be told off and silently listening when Armin needed it. The way he was was so understanding, Armin never thought possible. Even when the others were cruel to him the Doctor was kind. The Doctor made him happy, even if he'd thought those things couldn't make him happy.

He wasn't one to look at the world through rose colored glasses. The world had always been cruel to him and robbed him of that ability. He knew what had been done to him by the Doctor was wrong. And he was well aware as to what he was doing and didn't care. It all was finally changing, things were looking up for him. He could finally look on the bright side of things. They had a home to go to in Trost and he would study to become a Doctor too. What he was doing wrong didn't matter. It all was right because it's what the Doctor wanted.

“Are you going to behave yourself?” He said knocking on the trunk of the vehicle. He waited to get a response but when he didn't get one he took it as a 'yes'. He stuck the key into the lock and when he opened the trunk a man lurched forward as if to try to escape the confines.

Prepared for this to happen Armin shoved him back down into the trunk and jabbed the syringe into his arm. The man let out a pitiful moan as he struggled to get away but Armin held him down, crooning sweet words as if to hush him. When his head lopped helplessly to the side there was a moment of silence as Armin stared down at the man, studying him to see if he would continue to fight. When he was sure that the struggling was over he removed his grasp on the man's throat go.

“You know I hate fighting,” He scolded as he gently removed the needle, wiping the blood away. “I didn't hurt you too much, did I?” He said rubbing his fingers gently over the man's arm, where he'd injected him. “Oh, look at your wrists.” He said softly trailing his a hand down and over the raw flesh, where the bindings had ebbed away at the skin. “You shouldn't struggle so much, you'll leave scars, like the ones on my wrists, Doctor.” He chided as he continued his examination of the man. “How are you feeling today?” He said, removing the gag from the man's mouth only for him to let out a dry scream.

“-min,” The Doctor rasped, looking up at him with almost pleading eyes.

“Doctor.” Armin responded, happy that the Doctor had spoken to me. The man hadn't spoken to him since their big fight, but the fact the first words were his name made him blissfully happy. “Need to use your restroom?” Silence. “Are you thirsty?” More Silence. “Do you want me to make you feel good?” The silence was slightly disappointing, but expected. The Doctor's sickness was getting worse. He looked paler than he did the day before. Dark bags hung below his eyes and his body shook as though he had a fever. It was like he'd caught a cold and that worried Armin. “Is your wound bothering you.” He said, more than asked, since he knew the doctor wouldn't speak. He simply reached out to touch the injury and the man let out a moan that sounded like a dying dog. “I-I'm sorry.” Armin said, quick retracting his hand in horror. “I didn't realize how much it hurt. I'm sorry.” He said touching the man's cheeks as he repeatedly apologized. “The medicine will make the pain go away. I promise.” He whispered pressing his lips to the man's chapped ones. “I know we can get through this little car ride. It'll only be a little bit longer, then we'll be home.” He whispered before he moved to begin cleaning up the man's wound. The man simply laid there limp, the 'medicine' flowing through his veins preventing him from doing anything against the other. “We'll be in Trost before you know it.” He said once he was done. “Then, as you had said, our life together will finally begin.” He was about to give the man another kiss but he heard the sound the foot steps on gravel. Quickly, he peered around the trunk, where he saw a young man standing there. The man stood about a good foot away from the car, his eyes were just as cautious as Armin's.

He was normal looking, attractive, but nothing special about him. His dark colored hair was covered in a ball cap but he could tell it would be sticking up everywhere in a greasy mess with the way the sweat clung to him. The distance made it hard for Armin to tell the color of eyes or body build but he seemed to be fairly well built, strong. Armin knew the Doctor didn't like strangers, especially strong looking ones, but Armin was curious. He hadn't spoken to another person besides the Doctor in months.

“We have company.” He said, shutting the trunk lid with a charming smile.

He didn't really want his time with the Doctor to be disrupted, but the doctor would be asleep for a good couple of hours, and the man looked absolutely exhausted, like he might drop dead any second. That wouldn't be good, he was supposed to help people in need, that was what his Grandfather always had told him. So, one could not just leave him there, especially when he was staring at Armin with such a gaze.

“Hey, need a ride?” He said, moving around the vehicle to get a better look at the man.

He was muscular, not as well built as the Doctor but it was still quite impressive. His hair seemed to be a dark brown, like chocolate, which greatly contrasted with his hazel eyes that seemed to shift colors as he moved his head to the side.

“Do I look like I need ride?” The man said, sounding tired and slightly annoyed, which caused Armin's smile to falter slightly. That was incredibly rude, but he supposed the man could be camping and he had just asked without thinking about the circumstances. That really didn't matter, he was just trying to be kind and the man so rudely responded that way. It was something he hated about humanity.

“Well, you look like you need a bath.” Armin retorted before he could stop himself, which caused the other to make a face that seemed to be a crossed between shock and embarrassment. Armin simply shifted his stance, knowing he should really get going, if he wanted to keep on the new schedule. “Do you need a ride or not.” He said, more than questioned, watching the man maul over his options.

“Yeah, I do.” He replied with a nod.

“Great.” Armin said, moving over to the driver side of the car. “Where you heading?” He questioned as he moved the cooler into the back, making room for the other to sit in the passenger seat.

“Karanese.” The man said opening the door, surprising Armin slightly because he was going to the same town.

“That's a two day drive.” He clarified causing the man to cringe slightly. Armin imagined him walking that and felt like he'd cringe too.

“You don't have to take me the whole way, just as far as the next town or something.” He said scratching the side of his head, like he'd asked for something impossible.

Armin just sat there for a moment, wondering just how far he should take the man. The Doctor wouldn't like a stranger in their car. If he found out, then Armin would get an earful, but, if he was careful, the Doctor didn't have to know. The Doctor was ignoring him, anyway, so he could enjoy the company of someone new and not worry about the consequences just this once.

“I can take you there.” Armin said, feeling his heart drum from his own thoughts. “You won't mind checking into a hotel, though,” He trailed off when he saw the grin spread across the others face. It looked like the guy had won a million bucks and then some. The pure raw emotion on the man's face had Armin's heart rate increase as the excitement spread to him.

“I don't mind at all!” He said, sounding ecstatic at the prospects of getting a ride as he sat down into the passenger seat. “I'm Eren, by the way.” He said, holding out a dirtied hand. Armin smiled at him and shook his hand, not really caring about the dirt.

“Armin. It's a pleasure.” He said, watching the other get comfortable in the passenger seat. “As for the hotel, there's one close to our halfway mark according to the map on my phone.” Armin continued, starting the vehicle as he spoke. “You can decided at that point if you want to keep riding with me.” He added as he pulled the car into gear so he could pull back onto the dirt road.

For the first half hour, they were silent. Armin had never been good at starting conversation, he could hold a conversation, just not start one himself. It was something he'd been trying to improve on but most of the time he was shot down. The thoughts of Eren finding him annoying for trying to converse unsettled him, so he stayed silent. It wasn't like Eren was attempting to make a conversation with him, so it was obvious to Armin that he didn't mind the silence. That didn't stop Armin from being uncomfortable. Eren kept looking at him, then around the car, like he was observing it and Armin's actions. It was weird and he knew from past experience what that could mean.

“What kind of car is this?” Eren spoke causing Armin to jump in surprise. He then took a quick glance at the man, catching the genuine interest reflecting in his eyes. He quickly turned his eyes back to the road, trying to remember what the name of his car was. “S-sorry, I didn't mean to bother you, I wasn't sure if you were the type who needs to focus on the road.” He said, when Armin did not answer him.

“No, it's okay.” Quickly, he spoke, afraid that the man may ask him to pull over and he'd be without company again. “I-I just wasn't sure if you wanted to hold a conversation with me.”

“I don't mind.” Eren said, causing Armin to feel a strange warmth spread through his chest.

“It's a X-Z model. It's about ten years old, but it's got good gas mileage and it runs like a kitten purrs.” He said, trying to tell Eren as much as he knew about the car without getting into the technical aspects.

“It's got a nice color to it.” Eren said, reaching out and toughing the dashboard lightly. “You totally got lucky.” He added.

“Yeah, it's hard to see at night though.” Armin said with a small chuckle. The memory of losing the car one night because of how dark it was. He shifted to catch a slight glance at the other and noticed he was licking his lips. “Would you like something to drink?” He said, quickly reaching back and grabbing a bottle of water and a pop. “I don't have much variety, but I do have water and some soda.” He said holding them out to Eren.

“Oh, I'm-” Eren tried to object but the water slipped form Armin's grasp so he caught it and took the can.

“You look dehydrated, Eren. It's like one hundred degrees out here.” Armin said, knowing how hot it was and what the results would be from dehydration. “You'll get sick, it's not good!” He said, keeping his eyes on the road and he almost heard a huff of a laugh.

“Thank you.” He heard Eren say and he glanced at the man to see an appreciative smile. “So, you know where I am heading, where are you heading?” Eren said as Armin pulled his eyes back to the road.

“Going right through Karanese and heading to Trost.” He said, moving slightly, relaxing against the seat.

“Really? Cool. I'm from Trost.” Eren said, sounding excited and Armin smiled at his words.

“Small world.” He commented, knowing that Trost was a large front city, but wondering if he'd ever passed this person in the streets before. “What are you doing up here?” He asked before realizing what that sounded like and quickly tried to correct it. “Wait, you don't have to answer that.” He said quickly, feeling embarrassed for asking such a personal question. “I'm being nosy.” He added but Eren just let out of a bark of a laugh.

“It's fine.” Eren said with amusement filling his voice. “It was for work related issues, I'm just stopping to see a friend in Karanese, before I head back to Trost.” He said with a calm voice as Armin nodded, his embarrassment still burning at his cheeks. “What about you?” He said lightly which caused Armin to bite his lip. He broke one of the Doctor's rules by letting this person in the car. Could he break another? Should he?

“I'm moving back to Trost. Utopia was a little too much for me.” He said quietly deciding that he didn't have to tell the whole truth.

“Wait! You got to live in Utopia, Sheena?” Eren gasped like it was a shocking thing and Armin cringed. “Like the rich of the rich 'Sheena'.” He added and Armin glanced at him to see amazement in the boys eyes.

“It was only an outer territory and it was complicated.” Armin said, feeling his body tense as he focused on the road. Memories of what happened in Sheena flashed through his mind, making it hard to focus on the road. “It got a lot more complicated and I almost ended up in an early grave. So, I decided to head back to Trost.” He added, knowing that was only partly true. He was only going back to Trost because that was where the Doctor was.

“Can I ask what Sheena was like?” He said after a moment of silence. It was a hesitant question and Armin forced himself to relax. It was obvious that the man noticed Armin's tensed reaction and he didn't want to make his guest uncomfortable.

Though, his time in Sheena was hardly a pleasurable experience. He wasn't sure what he could talk about with the man to make it enjoyable. It would be difficult to pull the good from the bad and talk like a normal person with Eren, but he looked so excited to talk about the world and travels. It helped with Armin's desire to talk to someone, since the Doctor had been too ill to hold a conversation. So, he began to talk about some of the places he got to enjoy and tried to keep himself from telling the stranger too much about himself, since that was one of the Doctors rules.

They talked about random things, they even got into a debated about opposing views. Armin reviled in it. He'd never been able to hold a conversation with anyone like this before. Not even with the Doctor. It was fascinating that he could just go on and on about his thoughts and Eren would do the same or start an argument over something he didn't agree with. The hours passed by, enjoyably, until Armin saw a gas station approaching and decided he needed to fuel up and check on the Doctor's condition.

“I need to get gas. Is it okay?” He said glancing at Eren, who'd been messing with the radio. By the way Eren's eyes lit up at his words, he took it as a positive sign.

“Oh, thank God, yes!” He said as Armin parked his vehicle in front of the nearest pump. “I've got to piss, like-you have no idea.” Eren practically shouted as he jumped out of the car before Armin could put it in park.

“I'll meet you back here, then.” Armin called after him as the man made a b-line for the toilets. A chuckle escaped his lips as turned himself around and grabbed a medium sized duffel bag from the back seat. “I better grab something for the Doctor's fever, while I'm here.” He muttered to himself as he opened the bag revealing large bundles of cash. “I wonder how much I'll need.” He sighed counting money out of one of the smaller bundles.

Once he was sure he had enough, he closed the bag and tossed it back into the back seat. Then, with a slight shrug, he removed his seat belt and made his way out of the car. He wasn't sure if it was a prepay joint but he had to buy the medicine, so it would be fine to ask while he was in there. He browsed the isles until he found what he was looking for, taking extra care to read the ingredient on the medicines so it would cause a reaction of any sort with the Doctor's current medications.

He'd learned from past mistakes that mixing the wrong medicines together would have very disappointing side effects. The memories of his experience with that still made him sick to his stomach. He really didn't want to have a repeat of those incidents, especially now that they were so close to Trost.

“Can I get fifty on pump one and a pack of Blues.” He asked the cashier as he set his items on the belt.

“That all for you?” The cashier said, with out the slightest glance up from the register. It was a rude thing to do but beneficial for Armin. The Doctor always said, it was best when very few people took notice to him.

“Yes, sir.” He said, watching the man at the register ring out his items. “Thank you.” He said taking his small bag and walking out to the car, where Eren was standing leaning against the car, drinking the bottle of water, Armin had given him. “Hey Eren,” He said, smiling at the man as he closed the bottle with a smile. Armin noticed that the dirt on Eren's arms had been washed away and his hair was damp. A laugh, bubbled up into his throat at the thought of Eren washing himself in a gas station bathroom.

“Hey.” Eren responded leaning over the hood as Armin stopped to look at him curiously. “I just wanted to say, thank you. I mean, seriously.” He said, smiling appreciatively. “I was further out than I thought. You really saved my ass.” He added causing Armin to chuckle softly.

“You don't have to thank me.” Armin said with a weak smile. “I offered you a ride because I wanted to.” He said in a matter of fact tone causing Eren to frown. “I need to get something from the trunk. Be right back.” He said turning away from the cab.

“Take your time.” He heard Eren's voice call as he heard the passenger door open and close.

He glanced behind him to see Eren had sat down in the seat and was staring out the window across the street. He sighed, feeling like he'd been rude for some reason but that didn't matter. He had to take care of the Doctor. So, he began walking to the trunk with a gentle rap on the side of the car with each step. After reaching the trunk, he opened it and looked down at the man bound in the trunk.

“Doctor, I bought you some cigarettes.” He said, watching the man crack his eyes open to look at Armin before they lulled shut, again. “It's your fave brand.” He continued to talk, setting the cigarettes down beside the man. “Doctor, you-” He said, stopping when his hand touched the man's forehead. It was warmer than it was before. “It's getting worse.” He said removing his hand and pulling out the medicine of the bag. Taking the proper portion of medicine into his hand he leaned forward. “Don't worry, this'll make you better.” He said forcing the medicine into the man's mouth. The man obeyed and swallowed it as Armin poured water down his throat, too weak to do other wise. “There,” He said, kissing the man's lips lightly. “Get better soon, Doctor. Sleep well.” He said, shutting the trunk and moving around to the driver side door. “Sorry, I took so lo-” He paused, seeing as Eren was slouched over in the passenger seat, eyes closed. “Oh, he fell asleep.”

Armin was surprised to see Eren asleep. The fact that he seemed exhausted when he first got into the car had slipped from Armin's mind with how talkative the man had been. Now he was unconscious, letting out a slight snoring sound, curled up in the passenger seat, like it was the most comfortable bed he'd slept in in months. It worried Armin slightly. It wasn't everyday that a stranger fell asleep in his car. He then noticed the empty bottle of water resting in Eren's lap and a thought occurred to him.

“Shit, I didn't give him the Doctor's water...” He muttered looking at the bottle Eren had been drinking from. Quickly, he climbed into the drivers seat and grabbed the bottle from the others lap. With a quick sniff, he shook his head. It definitely had a faint scent. “Shit, it was.” He said with a sigh, before starting the car. He had to let Eren sleep the rest of the way to the hotel, even though he really wanted to continue having a conversation with the man. There was no way to wake him until the drug wore off.

He was ashamed to have been the one to give it to the other. He swore he had gotten rid of all those bottles the last time he'd stopped at a gas station but he realized that he obviously missed one.

“I really am sorry about that. The doctor loves playing pranks like that. I thought I got rid of it all, though.” He apologized, even thought Eren wouldn't be able to hear him. “Good thing I didn't drink it though, right?” He said quietly, smiling to himself as he thought about how he could have passed out while driving. “Still not a good thing that you got drugged, though, but don't worry. I won't take advantage of you.” He continued, knowing that Eren was asleep and wouldn't answer him.

While driving in silence, Armin occasionally commented on something that caught his interest just to fill the silence. It was a peaceful drive and Armin felt extremely happy to have both the Doctor and Eren in the car with him. He hadn't had a real 'friend' since he lived in Trost. The Doctor wasn't a friend, he pretended to be, but they shared a bond that only the two of them could understand. It wasn't a friendship, but something more or less. Armin couldn't quite be sure anymore.

It was different with Eren. They had just met and had barely anything in common. The only thing was that he enjoyed talking to Eren. Their differences made for interesting and stimulating conversations. They'd connected in a different way and became friends. At least, in Armin's mind they did. It was a temporary friendship though, he made sure to constantly remind himself of that. They'd never see each other again once they got to Karanese. It was a sad thought, but he had the Doctor, so he could let Eren go. He had to let him go, less the Doctor get jealous. He didn't want to see what the Doctor would do just because he liked talking to Eren. He particularly liked Eren, too, which would definitely upset the Doctor. Especially, after he left everything behind in Sheena to be with Armin in Trost. He focused his thoughts on his future life with the Doctor for the rest of the drive, letting Eren sleep to his hearts content.

It wasn't until they got to the hotel, a few hours later, did Armin's attention turn back to Eren. The man was still sound asleep, mouth slightly ajar, with no signs of waking up. He knew that the drug should have worn off by now, it had been a good four hours and that had usually been the time limit, that he could recall.

There was a part of him that still really didn't want to wake him up, Eren looked incredibly peaceful sleeping there. But they had to check into their hotel rooms. The Doctor needed checked on and fed. He wasn't feeling well and Armin had to properly take care of him. He couldn't do that if Eren was sleeping in the vehicle.

“Eren, wake up.” He said, not wanting to touch the man, unsure of how he would react to being shaken awake. The man didn't move or shift, the only sign that Armin had to show Eren was alive was the movement of his steady breathing. “Eren, you have to wake up. I have to take care of the Doctor.” He said, frowning over that fact that the other wasn't budging. He then put his hand on the horn and pressed down as hard as he could causing the car to let out it's blaring cry.

Eren jerked forward, his eyes snapped open wide, and he looked ready to attack the source of the noise. His eyes were darting around confused as to what was going on. It made Armin feel a bit guilty over waking him up in such a cruel matter, but he had priorities to worry about. He had to check on the Doctor and not baby the stranger asleep in his car.

“Where am I?” Eren said, seeming to wake up enough to realize his current situation. “Who the hell are you?” He said, tensing his entire body as he looked at Armin with harsh eyes.

“I'm Armin.” He retorted with a tilt to his head. Eren just blinked at him, as though he was trying to remember the name before his groaned and rubbed at his face.

“Armin. Right, sorry.” He muttered removing his hands from his face with a lazy smile forming on it, obviously the after effects of the drugs. “I thought I dreamed you up.” He said with a slight laugh as he looked out the windows. “Where are we?”

“At the hotel.” Armin said calmly motioning to the side, where the hotel's sign hung.

“Already?” He said, his eyes widened in surprise as he checked the time on the car's radio.

“Yeah, you must have been really exhausted.” Armin said, keeping the fact he got drugged silent with a slight smile. “Come on, let's go get our rooms.” He said, opening his door and climbing out.

“Yeah.” He agreed as he got out too, taking his bags with him.

Eren felt extremely embarrassed as he walked down the hall beside Armin. The guy had been a great person to have a conversation with the entire ride, but he'd gone and passed out in the front seat back at the gas station. It made no sense. He was usually really good at staying awake while with strangers, but he just passed right out. And even worse, when he woke up his mind was in a strange fog.

Even now, he struggled to keep his mind cleared, which was important with his mission. A clear mind was needed if he was going to detect the enemy. He had to be dehydrated, like Armin said. It was the only explanation he could muster for why he was so unfocused. It wouldn't matter, soon he'd be inside a safer place than out in the open and he could rest, hydrate, and clear his mind.

“Is something wrong?” A voice sounded beside Eren and he glanced over to Armin, who had a worried expression on his face.

“Mmm... Naw, it's nothing to worry about.” Eren said, forcing a smile onto his face, so he wouldn't worry his traveling companion. “I'm going to go take a shower.” He said, not really caring if that was information that the other would want to know or not.

“Okay?” Armin said and Eren caught him glancing down the hallway with an uncomfortable expression. He let his eyes trail down the hall to see a man standing at the end of the open hall smoking and staring out into the parking lot. His entire body tensed, mind completely cleared, at the site of the man.

It was one of Them. A Titan was standing there like he belonged there. It made Eren's blood boil and the desire to end Them itched at every inch of his body. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the boy that stood beside him, that uncomfortable look still on his face, like he too knew that what they were looking at was a Monster. That was when the man's eyes shifted over to them and he swore a smile spread across his face. It sent a shiver on anxiety through Eren and he knew he had to keep Armin away from that person.

“You should go shower too.” Eren said, taking an unconscious step between the man and Armin as he faced his companion. “It always helps me relax after a long car ride, I bet you could use some relaxation.” He said, grinning like he hadn't just seen the Titan.

“Yeah.” Armin said, smiling weakly as he unlocked the hotel room door. “I'll see you in a bit for food?” He said and Eren smirked.

“Yeah, totally.” He agreed, realizing they hadn't talked about eating before this but his stomach was empty, so it didn't really bother him. He just assumed that that was Armin's way of asking him if he wanted to get something to eat.

Once he was sure Armin was inside the room, safely, he turned his gaze back to the direction the man was in but the man was walking the other direction, his hand in his pocket like he owned the place. Cursing silently, he turned to his own room to get a quick shower and prepare to have dinner with his new acquaintance.

After a peaceful dinner with a exciting discussion about the best places to Travel within and outside of the country, Eren was set on Armin. He found the man's intelligence charming and the way he spoke about his interests empowering. They both shared the mutual interest of traveling and the things they didn't agree on brought about playful and stimulating conversations that always ended with one of them giving up on trying to convince the other they were right. Eren had never had so much fun arguing with someone. Usually, he'd get so angry that he'd storm off or throw a punch, but with Armin it was different. The way Armin spoke, it gave him the opposite effect.

He rarely hit a nerve and when he did, he quickly back tracked and explained his reasoning, calming Eren and proving his point without insulting him. It was a rare feat, one that no one has really ever been able to do. It thrilled Eren, because he usually spoke with his fists, now he was forced to use his words and learned so much about Armin and himself. He actually felt a bit sad that he would only get one more day to spent with this person.

Even after they said, good night, Eren sat on the edge of his bed, hoping that Armin would come over and start talking to him again, with that excited look he got when he spoke about his dream of seeing the Caribbean Oceans and the Dead Sea. It was an odd feeling. One that Eren was unsure how to take it. Armin was a complete stranger to him, but there was this feeling deep within him. It was like a instant connection, or like they'd met before somewhere in the past. And considering he didn't quite have a full memory of his past, he was aware that they could very well have. But the way Armin treated him like a friend, made it even stronger.

It wasn't even the fact that Armin was being nice to him. It was in his body language, the way he spoke, his mannerisms. One could be nice to anyone but Armin was being more than nice, more than familiar. It was like they'd known each other for years. It just unsettled him but he couldn't tell why.

“I need a smoke.” He muttered, pulling out his dirty habit. He promised himself he'd quit, he was good at not smoking while on the hunt, keeping his presence on a scene almost invisible, but he wasn't on a hunt right now. He was on his way to his next target, yes, but there was no reason he'd need to hide his presence here.

He stepped outside his room, his pack of smokes in one hand. Leaning against the railing, he lit one of the tobacco sticks, taking a relaxing breath in. The sky was already dark, the only light came from the cars that passed by on the road. Even then there were very few because of the towns small nature. It seemed like a nice little town and a bitter feeling formed inside of him.

It reminded him of his home town. The town he lived in before he ended up in Trost. He could barely remember it. What he could remember were blurs of happy times, of love, and all of that being ripped away frim him as he mother was brutally murdered right in front of him by Them. He hated them, hated the thought of them. He closed his eyes to force the memories away, they wouldn't help him calm down.

“Excuse me.” He heard a voice call out to him as he exhaled and he turned to see the Titan from earlier.

A shudder of terror and rage ran through his body. When he thought about them, They always seemed to pop up in an annoying way, like They could read his mind. He wanted to take the knife hidden at his side by his shirt and slice the bastards throat wide open, for even thinking about talking to him, but he calmly moved into a less relaxed position and faced the Titan with a cool expression.

“Yes.” He said, pulling the cigarette back to his mouth, watching Their movements calmly.

“Sorry, to bother you.” They said calmly, cracking a slight smile. “But you were with someone, earlier yes?” He said, hoping that Eren would confirm it. Eren did not, he simply took another drag on his cigarette, watching Them realize he wasn't going to respond. “That guy, the one that's staying in here.” He said, motioning to Armin's room. “Do you know him?” He said again, with hope of a confirmation but Eren simply exhaled with a frown on his lips, one he'd learned from his parental guardian and sister as a teen. “He looks like someone I know, I need to talk to him about something.” They continued, like Eren was willing to cooperate with Them and Eren continued to fight the urge to reach for his knife. “Can you ask him to come out?” The man finally asked, his intentions for approaching Eren finally coming out.

Eren wondered what They wanted with Armin. He was a human as far as Eren could tell. A fun, kind, and intelligent human that seemed to get uncomfortable around certain people. The look on Armin's face, when he caught site of the man earlier floated to Eren's memory and a protective feeling formed in the pit of Eren's stomach.

“First off,” Eren said, dropping his finished cigarette onto the ground. “That's my girlfriend.” He stated as he slammed his foot onto the burning butt.

“Strange, I could have sworn-” The man said as Eren moved forward pointing at the man with a serious look in his eyes.

“And Second! If you're one of her fucking Exes trying to get her back, I'll fucking kill you.” He said in a deep voice, moving his shirt, showing the man that he was armed. “Get the fuck out of here.” He said coolly as the man, lifted his hands up in a surrendering pose.

“I am very sorry.” He said, with a nervous look on his face. “I just mistook her for someone, else. Have a good night.” He said quickly before quickly turning and hurrying away. Eren watched as the Titan turned the corner, pulling a cellphone out of their filthy pocket before he turned to Armin's door. He checked to make sure it was locked, which it was, before he returned his gaze to the direction the Titan had gone.

“Fucking Titans.” He growled turning to his room. “Like hell, I'm going to give someone's name to a stranger, let alone let you talk to them!” He said, reentering his room and slamming the door, locking it behind him.

He wanted to go after that Titan and end him but he knew that it was dangerous to go head on against those monsters. He had to put that one on his list for another day. A day that he wasn't with an innocent human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many question are raised in this chapter, ones that I don't even have the answers to yet. hahaha Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Look forward to the Third Pill and Ermin's descent into whatever this is...


	3. Chapter 3

# THIRD PILL

He found himself in a dream. A hazy sort of dream, that seemed more like an old black and white movie. A child sat before him smiling excitedly talking about something Eren couldn't quite hear or maybe it was recall. The haze over his mind was too heavy, the pain of being unable to remember what was going on stabbing him in his chest.

What he could make out, through the haze, was the bruises and bandages that adorned his friend's face and arms. That he, himself, had matching injuries. He could remember the reasoning behind it, that he'd fought off bullies that were hurting his friend. He could remember that they dreamed to travel the world together. That when they were old enough, they planned to just get into a car and leave their home town behind them. It drove him mad just thinking about being unable to recall the boy he'd made all these promises with.

“Someday, I hope we get to explore the world.” Those words hurt him even more because he knew they would never be able to do that. The dream changed, he didn't want it to, but the pain forced his dream to shift to the reason they would never see the world together. It shifted to blood and screaming. The Titans; his mother's murder. The disappearance of that person.

He needed to wake up. It was all a dream but he couldn't wake up, the Titans were there. They were surrounding him and his sister. His friend was already gone. Where had he gone? What had happened to him? He couldn't remember and it frightened him.

“Eren!”

Eren awoke to the sound of knocking on his room's door. A groan escaped his lips, silently cursing his dreams and praising whatever had woken him up. It had been a hellish night of nerves and sleeplessness. The simple fact that there was a Titan prowling about the territory made it impossible for him to sleep the way he needed to.

His nightmare didn't help him at all. He recalled the vague images and wondered just why he dreampt at all. Usually, he slept through the night with little memory of ever having any sort of dream. Though, that wasn't the case this time around. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and hope the dreams stayed away.

“Eren, if you don't wake up, we're leaving you here!” A familiar voice called out in annoyance causing Eren to bolt up right at the memory of the day before, his dream vanishing from his mind. It was Armin, the young man who was giving him a ride to Karanese. He was late to waking up. That fact alone jumped out of the bed and rushed to the door.

“Shit! I'm up! I'm up!” He said loudly opening the door to see Armin smiling at the door.

“I was just kidding about leaving without you.” He said with a small chuckle and Eren chose not to acknowledge the once over that the other had given him and the slight tension in the others shoulders. “But you really should get ready. It's almost time to check out, unless you plan on staying here another night.” Eren sighed, realizing he was right. That they had to be checked out by ten or he'd have to pay for another night. That was something he did not want to do.

“Yeah, thanks for waking me up.” Eren said softly, rubbing his face as if it'd wake him up more. “Just let me get my stuff and piss.” He said and turned, picking up the few items he'd taken out of his bag. Once he was done in the bathroom, he left the room, his bag slung over his shoulder.

“You look like you didn't sleep at all.” Armin said, frowning, as he followed Eren down the hall.

“I usually look like this in the morning.” He said with a shrug as he walked with Armin to the hotel's main office.

What he didn't want to tell Armin was about the filthy Titan that had questioned him the night before. Or how he'd stayed up half the night watching out for the chance to take him out. Then had a nightmare, when he actually did get to sleep.

It only took them a few minutes to checked out. The lady at the desk was quick and efficient, unlike most places Eren had flopped in. Usually, he had to wait at the desk, ringing the bell until someone came to check them out. Then struggle not to argue with the attendant at the desk because he went over the time, which he wouldn't have if they'd been at the desk. So, having a quick exit from a room was a nice change of pace to say the least.

On the way out to the car, Eren caught a glimpse of the Titan leaning against the railing over where their rooms were. It caused him to pause, glaring at the bastard, who grinned at him and waved. His hand instantly went to his side and realized that his knife was not at his side.

“Shit, I forgot it in the room.” He said in mild horror, causing Armin to stop and glance back at him curiously.

“Forgot what?” The site of his curious look caused Eren to feel a bit guilty at the fact that it was a knife he was worried about.

“My wallet.” Eren said, quickly, not wanting to let Armin know he had a knife on him. The man didn't seem like the type to like that sort of thing and he didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

“That's not good.” Armin said, his head tilting to the side with a bit of worry forming in his eyes.

“I'll go ask the hotel staff if they can grab it for me.” He said, moving to go back to the room. Armin stopped and set his bag on the ground.

“I'll wait, here.” Armin said causing Eren to stop and look back at him.

“If you wanna head out, then-” Eren tried to say but he was cut off by Armin's words.

“I said, I was taking you to Karanese, I don't go back on my word.” The look in Armin's eyes told Eren that he would truly wait for him.

“I'll be right back.” He said, not able to explain the feeling that was forming in his chest. Part of him wanted Armin to go, so he wouldn't be near the Titan, but the other part of him felt happy that the man he was hitching a ride with was willing to wait.

There wasn't time to ponder as to what it was or why he felt this was about a total stranger. He had to get to his weapon back before he was caught defenseless. So, he nodded with a slight smile and ran back into the hotel to ask to be let back into the room. Luckily for him, the woman at the desk took him back to the room and let him retrieve his items.

“That was close.” He sighed after thanking the woman at the desk. He patted his hidden weapon with eased nerves. “I really wouldn't want anyone to find this.” He muttered moving quickly toward the location he'd left Armin at.

“Hey, long time no see.” He heard a voice say as he rounded the corner, which caused him to pause. There in front of him stood a Titan hoover over Armin with an amused look on his face. “Did you forget about me?” He said, tilting his head to look at Armin's face, which could easily be seen by Eren.

Even with his head lowered, Eren could tell Armin was terrified. His body trembled and his eyes were moving around, like he was searching for a way away from the man. A memory of his nightmare flashed before his eyes and he felt a bit of rage form in his chest.

“How that pretty little voice of yours?” The Titan said and Eren could tell, by the way Armin's eyes snapped to the other, that he knew Them. They knew each other and that made something in Eren snap. That Titan had met Armin before, had done something to make Armin so frightened. He wanted to kill him. That Titan was going to die. It had to die. He just had to bide his time and wait till he could get Armin out of harms way.

Armin didn't seem to want to run away, though. Instead, he turned himself away from the man, pulling out his phone as though he were going to call someone, but his fingers didn't move, they trembled, just hovering over the numbers. Eren saw this and began to move forward, breaking into a run as he caught the annoyance on the Titan's face.

“Are you ignoring me, you little bitch?” He growled, reaching out to grab Armin but Eren intercepted it.

“Hey!” Eren snapped, holding the Titan's hand in the air as they glared at each other. “Didn't I tell you to stay away from us, yesterday?” He said coolly, with a harsh glare. His free hand went to the hilt of his knife, while his occupied hand squeezed the Titan's wrist as tight at he possibly could. “Get the fuck out of here, before I call the cops on you for harassing us!” He said, throwing the Titan's hand away, ready to start a fight, if the Titan was going to try to give one. The Titan just smirked at him, slipping his thumbs into his pockets.

“Got yourself a boyfriend, there, don't yah.” The Titan said, huffing as if he was amused. “Don't eat him up too quickly. The Doctor'll want a piece of him.” He said with a grin and Eren moved forward to give him another threat.

“D-Don't-” Armin breathed grabbing his arm as if to stop him from taking a swing. It made Eren stop, only for the sake of the terror he saw in Armin's eyes.

The Titan simply glared at Eren before glancing at Armin with a highly amused look on his face. He then proceeded to turn around and walk away. Eren didn't move, his eyes trained on the Titan as he retreated. The tension in his body did not lax until he saw him turn the corner and fall out of site. That was when he let out a breath of relief and turned to Armin, who was still shaking beside him.

“You okay?” He said, quieter than he meant but from the look of Armin's complexion, he was sure the man would faint. “You look really pale. Did that bastard do something to you?” He said, touching the blond's hand, which still clung to his arm. Armin instantly jerked away, seeming to snap out of his terrified state.

“Huh? Uh? Um, no?” He said, quickly looking at Eren and then toward the direction the Titan had gone. His eyes seemed to glaze over before his arms went limp at his sides. “No, I think he miss took me for someone else, is all.” He said, looking uncomfortable by what just happened. Eren wanted to ask how the Titan knew him but something inside of him told him not to ask. That it was going to be something he didn't need to know, even if he was curious.

“We should get going.” Eren said, not wanting to be there any longer, especially with a Titan so close to them.

“Yeah.” Armin said, not taking his eyes off the direction the man had gone.

It worried Eren, the look on Armin's face. Usually, when Eren saw a human encounter a Titan, they didn't react. They didn't see that they were monsters that wanted to kill them all, but Armin was terrified. It was like he knew that the man was a Titan. Or maybe, they just had a really bad encounter. Not that it mattered to Eren. A Titan was a Titan. And he needed to die. Just not that particular day, much to Eren's annoyance.

“Be careful around guys like that. They'll eat you whole.” He said opening the door to the passenger's side, feeling Armin's gaze on him.

“Thank you.” He heard Armin say and he looked at the other, who slid into the driver's seat. “For making him go away.”

The next hour and a half of their trip was filled by an awkward silence. Eren wasn't sure what to say to the other. The Titan's approach had seemed to leave Armin in a bad mood and he didn't seem to respond the same as he'd done the day before. And Eren couldn't find it within himself to ask him what was up with the whole incident. There was somethings that didn't need to be said, of course. Eren got that the guy was bad news. He was a Titan, after all.

They decided to stop at a restaurant for breakfast and Eren had ordered a batch of pancakes. That's when Armin's mood seemed to lighten.

“You're going to eat all of those?” He had said causing Eren to be offended and then challenged Armin to do the same.

He accepted, with many regrets as neither of them finished their plates. Eren couldn't help but laugh in spite of Armin's efforts to eat it all though. The blond looked like he was about to be sick for the next hour of their trip. It even caused them to stop at a gas station, so he could buy some sort of medicine for his stomach. Despite that, Armin seemed to be back to his former self. Happily chatting with Eren about anything they could think of.

Armin was like a vast wealth of knowledge, to Eren's surprise. There was always something being retorted about any topic Eren brought up, even sports. Which he quickly learned not to tread lightly with because, despite the frail looks of the driver, the man was very passionate about what teams he supported. He also learned that politics was something not to bring up, the other being extremely well versed in that subject, where he was lucky he knew who the current king was.

Despite that difference, he enjoyed arguing about things that he saw wrong with what Armin was saying. Only after he gave into the others' words, did he realize that arguing with a stranger, who was giving him a ride, might not be the wisest idea. Armin didn't seem to mind, luckily. The other even jested about it, when Eren tried to apologize for yelling at him. The sound of his laughter had made Eren smile, the relief obvious on his face.

Their ride ended around three in the afternoon, much to Eren's displeasure. Not that he would admit it out loud but he actually wanted to skip his target in Karanese and ask Armin if he could just ride back to Trost with him. He didn't ask, though. Instead he gave Armin his number and told him he'd be back in Trost in a month or so. And that if he ever needed some help, while in Trost to give him a ring.

Armin seemed disappointed to see Eren go but he didn't voice it. He simply gave Eren his number in return and told him, he looked forward to any debate Eren could think up. And he should text or call him when ever he felt the need to argue. It was obviously a joke, but Eren agreed and watched the man pull away.

“I doubt that it's even your real number.” Eren said with a small sigh, knowing that he probably shouldn't have given a stranger his number but he put the number into his phone anyway. “Too late now.” He sighed, staring at the name, realizing he didn't even know the guy's last name. “Time to find an HQ.” And with that he slung his bag over his shoulder and walk toward the nearest motel, that looked affordable.

It was night now. More like, the night was about to end and the sun was to rise in an hour. The air felt hot and humid, even with the windows rolled up and the air on. Armin found it hard to breath as he drove down the road, profusely rubbing at his tear stained eyes. He lost him. Lost the the one person who he enjoyed talking to the most. It was painful, they'd just started to hit it off and now he was alone.

There was dirt under his fingernails, which caused the memories of the past to resurface from the depths of his brain. Memories of how he'd awoken in the darkness of a shallow grave just months prior. The fear and taste of dirt shaking his very core as he realized what was going on. It all was just from the mere site of the dirt on his clothing, under his fingernails. It made him sick just to lick his dried lips.

And then there were the tears. Tears that mixed with the dirt on his face, causing it to wash away in places. Mucking up his face and anywhere they touched. He hated tears. The way each one ripped pieces of his pride away as they fell from his eyes, made him feel weak, like he was a coward and less of a man than he should be.

He was twenty-six years old, looked like he was at least sixteen, and was sobbing like a child. It was humiliating, even when there was no one else to see it. There was no way he could be this upset, he still had the Doctor. Sure, he lost his only contact for the time being but that didn't mean he was alone. He just couldn't handle the pressure in his chest. The sickness in his stomach from eating left over pancakes that he'd let sit out for far too long didn't help him. Nor did the fact, he'd been up for forty-eight hours straight. It was no wonder memories from the past crept up on him and brought on the tears that he couldn't stand.

“Doctor, I don't know how to make it stop.” He said with a whimper, wanting nothing more than for the tears to stop and the pain to go away. “Please make it stop,” He sobbed, wishing he had stayed back in Karanese, where he could have talked to Eren a little more.

It would have distracted him from the ache he was currently feeling. Maybe even prevented it. completely. But he hadn't and now he didn't know what to do. He was going to have a break down in the middle of nowhere with no one to make it stop.

“Bright.” He muttered rubbing at his eyes which suddenly ached at the bright lights that were behind him. When did another car get behind him? He wondered as he adjusted his mirror so it wouldn't shine in his eyes.

They were going pretty fast, he noticed. He'd been going about twenty miles over the speed limit for this road. The vehicle behind him had to be going just about that maybe even more, considering how they were riding his back bumper. It made him scowl. Sniffling, he tried to pull himself together, so he could keep driving with such bright lights behind him.

It seemed to be a type of pick-up truck, with how the lights seemed to set at the center of his rear window he could assume it had elevated tires. The other driver, also, obviously didn't know what dims were and it made it harder to focus on the road. He was not in a very stable mind set. Nor was he a very good driver, when it came to driving at night. So, an addition of a rude driver, with high beams bright enough to light up hell's kitchen, behind him he was ready to scream in frustration. Armin slid his little car over toward the white line, in hopes the truck, riding his back bumper, would get the hint that he could pass Armin, if he was in such a hurry.

To Armin's surprise, the truck did not pass him and instead pulled back, slowing it's speed as though it realized how close they were to Armin's car. It relieved him slightly and he wondered if the other driver had just dozed off and not realized how fast they were going. Or something equally as dangerous. Not that it mattered to Armin, as long as it didn't affect him. Though, he still had to deal with the damn near blinding lights behind him.

“I should just pull off to the side of the road.” He sighed preparing to do just that when he felt his car jerk forward with a loud slam.

The next thing, he knew, his car was slamming into the guard rail along the road. Quickly, he tried to adjust for the error, but he felt a second an impact and he realized what happened. Be it a bit to late as his little car flipped over the railing and tumbled down the slope the railing was supposed to protect vehicles from.

His air bag was released, smashing into and practically suffocating him as it rolled down the slope. The windshield shattered, bursting the air bag, slamming him with air pressure and broken glass. His head slammed against something hard as the car rolled to a stop.

It didn't stop for Armin, though. The world kept spinning around him as he tried to make heads and tails of his situation.

With a groan, he attempted to pull himself together, which was hard with his one eye swelling shut. It took him a moment to realize he was upside down. A moment longer to unhook his seat belt and push past the broken airbag, to attempt to get out of the opening, where the windshield had been. He got about half way around the air bag when he noticed a light and movement within it. His body froze, falling limp on the ground, his body half in the car half out, fear causing even his breath to stop. It could have been the person who'd run him over and that motivated him to be still more than the pain told him to move.

Doctor, help me. He cried inside his head as he stayed motionless, not even blinking his eyes that stared unfocused on the ground.

All he could think of was how he thankful he was that the tears did not fall as fear filled him. There was a sound of someone climbing down the slope and then of loud footsteps, which seemed to be thunderously loud in the dead of night. It was when the sound ceased that he saw the brown pointed boots of the person who'd run him off the road.

He could feel the broken windshield digging into his stomach and fought not to cry out or groan from the pain. He was sure his left arm was broken, it hung limply at his side, getting cut up by the glass. His right arm stretched out in front of him, like he'd tried to protect his face. He felt thankful that he'd froze in such a position, only wishing he'd not have been on the glass, which added to his already aching body.

His lungs burned with a desire for oxygen, he wasn't even sure he could acquire even without the pain. There was a sensation of eyes on him. It frightened him enough to bring him the courage to keep still and his eyes unfocused. If they checked for a pulse, then it was all over for him, but he heard a small sigh, which sounded sad or disappointed.

“The kid's done for, Boss.” A familiar man's voice said and Armin let a quiet breath escape him. He prayed the other hadn't heard it. “Understood. I'll return to HQ, immediately.” The voice said as the person moved out of Armin's line of site. “What about that man he was with? He's alone, Boss. Probably got ditched somewhere along the way.” He could hear the man continue talking as the sound of footsteps faded. Then the sound was gone and so was the light. Armin was left in the darkness of the night, sobbing as he struggled to get off of the glass and onto the cold dirt ground. Whether it was a relief or something else was unknown to Armin as he fainted there on the dirt floor.

Life just seemed to like shitting on him and today was no exception. It was not a good day to mess with Eren. Two weeks and a half weeks of hard work and he ended up failing in removing the threat in Karanese. All his hard work and preparing was for nothing as he lost his only chance at taking the target down; all because of some 'Human' prostitute, he didn't have the heart to kill.

It was his own fault. He could have taken her out with the Titan. It would have been an easy sacrifice for the greater good but his consciousness, his 'humanity', wouldn't allow it. So, he gave up and watched the two drive away for what looked like a long trip. He even waited a couple of days to see if the Titan would return to the filth They called an 'apartment' but he never did. So, the two weeks were wasted and he was pissed.

It didn't help matters that the town he ended up getting dropped off in looked like a shit-hole of a place. The town looked like it was ready to fall in on it's self with it's dilapidated building and it's run down people, who wandered the streets like zombies. If he had to chose a place for a horror film, it would probably be this town right here. That thought made him let out a bitter huff of amusement as he searched for a hotel of some sort.

The people at the bus station had told him that there was a hotel on the west side of town. Sadly, the hotel could hardly be considered a motel. It looked more like a flop for druggies, hookers, and the shady sort that he wished he could erase from the world. Of course, that wasn't his mission. Whoever the mission belonged to, he pitied them greatly.

It may have been a flop, but it was what Eren planned to call home for the next week and a half, until the next bus to Trost arrived. Then it would be a three to four days drive. He'd need to get some supplies for the ride, if he was planning on taking a bus instead of walking or hitching. There was no way he was going to end up stuck on a bus without some sort of entertainment. He might murder every passenger on the bus, if he didn't keep his mind occupied.

“I wonder if they have a grocery store in this godforsaken place.” He sighed as he left the motel. As he walked down the street he recalled the man, who'd given him a ride a week or so earlier. He'd be in Trost by now. Probably completely forgot all about the stranger he'd given a ride to.

Though, he was tempted to give the number a text, to see if it was actually Armin's number. He resisted, not wanting to bother the other when he didn't really have anything to say. A part of him worried about Armin, though. That Titan had known him, acted like he had been looking for him. What sort of involvement did he have with the Titans? Was he working with them?

No, he thought shaking his head. The look of terror in the blond's eyes made it obvious that he wasn't. He wasn't like those 'Shifters' that he met in the military. There was no way. The thought of Armin, somehow tricking him, put him off. His mind wouldn't accept it, so he didn't.

Still something about the man and the Titan bothered him. He couldn't put a finger on it. It was like the feeling he had back in the motel. It made him twitchy and protective. It wasn't normal, Eren was well aware of that. It was not normal to feel protective over a stranger. Though, Eren could argue that he was not normal and he had killed to protect a complete stranger before.

Mikasa, his thoughts shifting to his sister. The memory of how he'd saved her from Human 'monsters' when they were just children. Just one of the vague memories he had left from his time as a child. The times before the Titans ruined everything.

Their last meeting had been nothing but fire and ice on his part. She had looked completely heartbroken as he was forced into his guardian's car and they drove off. It had been three to four months since they'd last seen or spoken to each other. A part of him wondered if she was worried. Of course, he knew she was, the woman had always been overprotective of him. He couldn't really explain why.

“I wonder if I should call her.” He muttered to himself as he pulled out a cigarette from the pack, he kept in his pocket.

If he did, then maybe he'd stop fretting over the blond and have something to keep his mind off his annoyances. He thought about it some more as he walked down the street, even going as far as pulling out his phone and pulling up his sister's number. The only problem was, under her number was the number marked as 'Armin'. Split between calling his sister and sending Armin a text, he stood there looking at his phone.

A particularly loud horn blaring as it passed him snapped him out of his daze. With an annoyed glance in the car's direction he was surprised at what he saw beyond the road. Inside the shop, across the street, sat the very person he had wanted to see. Armin was in this town. He was there, in the coffee shop, reading a book. Eren couldn't believe his eyes. It was like some weird twist of fate. Eren didn't understand why but he was happy because of this. All annoyance of his failure in Karanese left him as he practically ran across the street, only acknowledging the angry traffic with a flick of his hand.

He ignored the yells as he stepped into the cafe, which looked more like something you'd see in a butcher shop, but it was filled with people, chatting and enjoying their companions company, or taking advantage of the free wireless connection. It was a weird site, not that he was complaining, more people meant it was less weird for him to come in the odd looking place.

Eren wasn't sure if he should just go straight over to the other. It was obvious it would be a little weird. They hardly knew each other well enough for something like that. So, after a bit of a inner-debate, he walked over to the register, to order something to stave off the creeps he was getting over himself.

He waited in line, getting a coffee and a scone, just so it wouldn't look obvious that he had came into the shop just to see the other. Once his order was ready, he was glad to see Armin hadn't moved from his spot and slowly made his way through the crowded shop.

He noted there were some things new about Armin. The new things being unsettling that were not an improvement. It had Eren pausing to take him in and wonder just what had happened. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and his left one was in a sling. There was a large gauze pad taped onto his left cheek, which was under a ugly yellowish-green bruise that clung to his eye.

“Hey there, stranger.” He said, stopping just a few steps away from the table, hoping not to startle Armin. The other still flinched at the sound of his voice before his eyes flickered up from the page of the book. Recognition flashed through them instantly and the book was lowered.

“Eren?” He sounded in awe at the very site of him. It made Eren's smirk widen ever so slightly. “What are you doing here?” He said, a smile of his own spreading across his face.

“Just passing through.” Eren responded, even though he'd be stuck in the town for a few days. “What about you? I figured you'd be in Trost by now.” He said, shifting slightly as Armin's smile fell from his face.

“Car troubles.” Armin said, turning his eyes toward the window.

“Oh,” Eren face deadpanned at the lie. It looked like more than car troubles to him, considering the amount of damage that seemed to have been done to the other's body. “Would you like some company?” He said, motioning to the open seat across from him, in hopes of lightening their moods.

“I'd love some.” Armin said, the smile faintly returning to the other's bruised face.

Eren really wanted to question Armin about what happened. It was obvious that it was a pretty bad accident but something seemed off about the look in Armin's eyes. It could be any sort of painkillers he was on but something told him that dark glint in Armin's eyes wasn't from any sort of medicine.

“Some jerk rear ended me into a guard rail.” Armin said, with a slight sigh, the glint turning to annoyance, as though the memory made him angry. Eren looked mildly startled by the sudden explanation but Armin simply continued to speak. “You looked like you wanted to know about this.” Gesturing, to his arm in the sling, he gave a small shrug and looked out of the window.

“That's not just car troubles.” Eren said, furrowing his brow, wondering why he felt like Armin was searching for something outside the window. “Are you okay?” He added, watching something akin to disappointment flicker in Armin's eyes before they turned to Eren.

“Yeah. I'm fine, just some scratches and bruises.” He said trying to place his head in his one hand, which caused him to wince. Eren pretended he didn't notice it and began to nibble on his scone to give himself something to do. “They had to trash the car, though. I'm waiting for my replacement to be inspected.” He said, picking up his obviously cold tea and sipping at it. His eyes seemed to keep traveling outside and Eren glanced out the window as well and saw nothing unusual.

“Shit, that sucks.” He said, then there was an awkward silence. Eren kept trying to follow Armin's line of vision, to see what exactly he was looking at but he still couldn't figure out what he was looking at.

The Candy store? Maybe, he's thinking about going shopping at the thrift store or something. He thought to himself, while looking at each store across the street. A small Candy store, a Thrift shop, and what he assumed was a hardware shop by the name, but he could be wrong.

“What's the new car like?” Eren said, deciding that it would be best just to try to converse with him, while they both strangely stared out the window.

“A piece of shit that's going to take a lot of work, but it was cheap and it'll get me home.” Armin retorted under his breath causing Eren to smirk at his use of swear words.

“How much you spend on it?” He said, knowing he didn't really know much about the sales process or what was a good deal.

“Six-hundred.” The blond retorted and Eren brought his eyes to Armin with a brow raised.

“Are you sure it's even going to run?” He asked, shocked by the low price but Armin just shrugged.

“If it doesn't, it's not getting it's sticker.” He said, keeping his eyes directed outside.

“That's true.” Eren said, feeling like their conversation wasn't going anywhere and was putting Armin in a bad mood. The man kept his eyes away from him and was bobbing his foot under the table like he didn't want to be there with him, despite saying he didn't mind. “What's your book about?” He said, wanting to change the subject and distract Armin some how, to put him in a better mood.

The way Armin quickly shifted and his eyes flickered with sudden excitement showed Eren he'd made the right choice. Eren had never heard of the title, but the way Armin had started talking about the plot of the story made him want to read it. The look in those deep shimmering eyes. The way he could just see the extent of the others excitement in them caused Eren to be swallowed up in his tale about two men, who ran away from their lives and traveled the world together until they got involved in some strange and dangerous conflict that caused them to have to run for their lives.

“What's so funny?” Eren said, once Armin was done talking about his serious opinion of the story and its characters.

“Sorry, I was thinking that it's interesting how we ran back into each other.” He said, chuckling again and Eren let a slight smirk form on his face. He, too, thought it was interesting and an amazing stroke of luck. “I mean, it's been about two weeks.” He added causing Eren to nod in understanding.

It was really quite the coincidence, not that he was complaining. He was debating on whether to call him or not and then he sudden saw Armin across the street. It was just a coincidence but when Eren thought about it, it may have been more.

“Yeah.” He said, wondering whether he should be suspicious of the coincidence or happy for it. “It's like fate.” He said partially joking to see how the other would react. Armin simply tilted his head, that cool knowing look, Eren had been given back when he first brought up politics, slid itself onto his face as he leaned forward onto his good arm.

“More like a coincidence, because we're both going to Trost.” He said, making sure to keep eye contact with Eren and he could feel the intensity of the others eyes. “This route is the quickest and most natural route to take.” He continued leaning back as though he realized he was overreacting. “Though, ending up in the same part of town is a surprise. It's not some other force trying to bring us together. There's no such thing,” He said, plainly which caused Eren to frown. “We just happened to bump into each other. Nothing more, nothing less.” He leaned back with a sigh as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a medicine bottle. “I don't believe in fate.” He added, taking a pill out of the bottle and putting it in his mouth.

Eren simply turned his head, letting the male take the medicine, assuming it was because he was in pain. There was no doubt about the pain part. He looked like a wreck, but Eren should probably say something to him about how dangerous it is carrying around his prescriptions with him. It didn't happen, though, Eren after all, had a bag full of tools he used to remove Titan scum. So, he didn't really have any right to talk. Instead, he chose to finish off his coffee and scone, which was more like a biscuit, with how it tasted. Their silence went on for what seemed like an hour before a beeping tone sounded from Armin's side of the table. With his eyes on his phone, Armin smiled as though relieved.

“Ah, I gotta take this.” He said, quickly moving to stand and answering it as he walked away from the table. Eren couldn't help but notice the bit of hope flickering in the other's eyes as he headed out the door. There was a limp to his step, Eren noticed. The site made his insides tremble with a rage he hadn't noticed was there before.

Someone had ran into him, be it an accident or on purpose, he didn't like it. Maybe it was because the reason he lost him memory was because of a car accident or because it involved Armin, but he wanted to hunt down the person, who did that and kill them. Titan or not. To be so reckless, so careless, to run someone off the road. It was unforgivable. Eren hated that part of humanity. So few cared about others well being. They only cared if they have something to gain. It was sickening, but Eren knew that the Titans were worse.

Armin seemed to finish his call and Eren noticed that Armin just stood there, looking up at the sky. He looked so disappointed, for some reason. It was like he was let down by what was said by the person on the other side of the line. Vaguely, he wondered what was said but he knew better than to be nosy. To Eren's relief, Armin reentered the cafe and walked over to Eren, his eyes masking the disappointment he'd seen with a fake happiness.

“Car's done. It passed.” Armin said, smiling slightly as Eren rose from his seat. Their time was over already and he hadn't had the chance to ask Armin about the Titan that had approached them weeks before. Eren was so disappointed that he wouldn't get to spend anymore time with the other. “Where are you staying? I can take you there, if you want.” He said and Eren wanted to believe that he hear a twinge of hope in Armin's voice.

Could Armin enjoy talking to him and want to talk more? Even after his comments about fate? He thought, in disbelief.

“The motel down the street? What about you?” Eren said, fighting the smile on his face.

“Same.”

Of course he would, it's the only place in the whole town. Eren scolded himself, feeling like an idiot to have asked such a thing.

“I'm room Seven. What about you?” Eren said, watching surprise dance across Armin's face.

“I'm in room Nine.” He said, looking a bit uncomfortable and Eren felt like he'd done something wrong. “Are you stalking me by a chance?” He said sounding a bit suspicious but Eren's stomach did a little flip.

He was in shock that Armin would accuse him of stalking him. Not that he hasn't ever stalked anyone in his life. But the fact that he was being accused hurt his pride a little. He just stared at Armin, whose suspicious look seemed to turn to amusement as Eren decided to retort.

“If I was, I'd do a better job at it.” He said and that got a laugh out of Armin, which was a relief. He hoped that the laugh was meant to show that he was joking, but it didn't quell Eren's feelings. He still was insulted, even if it was a joke.

“I'd hope so.” He said a knowing smile forming on his face.“So, you want to come with me to pick the car up?” He said, picking up his book and empty cup.

“Sure.” Eren said, quickly accepting, the prospect of hanging out with the other making the blond grin like a child. That look on Armin's face wiped all annoyance he had away from Eren's mind for some reason. It was like Eren had just said, he'd buy him something he really wanted and he couldn't fathom why but it made Eren happy to see it. “I want to see this 'piece of shit'.” He said loudly, earning a few glares from the people around them. Armin simply laughed again, ignoring the insulted stares of the other customers of the cafe, and began walking out with his book in his hands. Eren followed after, content for now with the fact he was invited to spend more time with Armin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, got this one pretty quickly compared to chapter 2. Not much happened, it's actually pretty boring, but it was needed. There are things left unanswered in this chapter but don't worry they'll hopefully be answered in the next and later on in the story. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, despite the normality of it. See you next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you guys for supporting PainKillers! It makes me smile everytime I see your Kudos and comments!  
> I hope you enjoy my newest PILL!

# PILL FOUR

There was a storm brewing outside as Armin carried his bags from his hotel room down to his new car. The stuff needed to be loaded quickly before it started to rain. He was not going to have anything wet in his car because he hated the smell of mildew. Glancing up, he took in the rolling clouds, large and thick with the liquid that would rain down onto the earth.

The thought of the rain calmed him, the smell relaxed the tension in his body over the past few weeks. It was like nature was telling him that it would all be okay in this crazy, cruel world. And he was fine with that. He was alive and he had not only made a friend but ran back into said friend, who was now going to ride with him to Trost. He couldn't wait until he and the Doctor met. The Doctor would be mad but Armin was sure that the Doctor would love Eren after spending some time with him. The three of them could get together for brunch or dinners. He entertained himself with those sort of thoughts as he walked along the side of his car, knocking on the side of it, despite there being no reason for it.

The car wasn't as disappointing as he had made it out to be when he spoke with Eren earlier. It was probably the same age as him, though, and there were rust spots on eighty percent of the carriage. It's engine was also louder than he'd of liked, but it would get him back to Trost. Then he could fix it up and hopefully get it running better. If not, he could always take it somewhere to get it fixed. Not that he liked doing things like that.

A low roll of thunder sounded from a distance, which snapped him out of his thoughts. Armin quickly popped the trunk open, needing to quickly get the loading done, since he didn't want to get rained on. His breath hitched as he caught site of the empty trunk. It was normal for it to be empty, one wouldn't expect it to have anything in particular in it. But it was empty and that still reminded him of what had happened two weeks ago.

It had been a normal night, he and the Doctor were camping out in the woods for the night. The heat that was in the air made it almost impossible to do anything, much less sleep, so Armin was making something for the Doctor to eat. The sickness seemed to be getting worse so the man needed medical attention. Armin was completely aware of it but the thought of going to the hospital frightened him. The last time he was in a hospital they'd locked him away for the doctors to do with as they please. The memories of what happened to him always stopped him from even thinking about going to those places. So, he was the one who had to take care of the man. And he would do a better job at it than the Doctor or any of his associates even did with him.

“Doctor, sorry to bother you, I know you're not feeling well.” He said, when he'd opened the trunk. “But, I have food. It's your favorite.” He said, smiling slightly as he held a bowl of soup in the Doctor's line of site. “Let's get something in your stomach.” He said, undoing the restraints on the man's wrists. “Doctor, you need to eat something. You've barely eaten all week. Here, sit up and I'll feed you.” He says setting the bowl down so he could help the man to sit up, but the man in the Trunk didn't budge, not even attempting to move. “Doctor?” He called, a slight smile formed on his face thinking the man was playing with him and pretending to sleep.

They'd played that game before, so many times Armin had been locked into the darkness and pretended to sleep until the light flooded the dark. Each time, he was smashed back into the darkness, his attempt failing. It wouldn't be the same this time. He wouldn't shut the Doctor back into darkness. Nor would he hurt the other. He wanted to be gentle to the things he loved, not cruel. There were already enough cruel things in the world anyway, his own cruelty was not needed.

“Are you still asleep?” He said, a laugh clear in his voice, touching the man's cheek and felt how cold it was. Panic had leapt into his throat, where the laugh died, it was at least ninety degrees out, far too hot for a human body to be this cold. “Hey... Hey, wake up.” Quickly, placing his hands on the man's face trying to move his head but it felt unnaturally stiff. “He's-Why?” He gasped, retracting his hands, putting two of his fingers onto the jugular of the man. “It was just a cold. He was fine a few hours ago.” His heart stopped, there was no pulse.

He quickly moved in to action, forcing the man to roll over onto his back in the small trunk and pushing on his chest in an attempt to resuscitate him. He did this, despite knowing for a fact that if he wasn't breathing and was unnaturally stiff, that he'd been that way for a while. Still, he couldn't lose another person. Not after he'd just let Eren go. The thought of it being unfair bubbled up in his mind as he slammed his lips onto the others in a futile attempt to breath life back into the cold figure. When he pulled back, he stared down hollowly at the cold man.

“Why is he dead?” Armin said, louder than he meant to, as he fell to his knees. A wave of anxiety and terror running through his body and mind as he pressed his forehead against the cold fender. “I-I-” He tried to say something, anything to fill in the sudden silence that surrounded him and the corpse but he couldn't think straight. The memories of the past ten years and the terror it brought turn his mind to mush.

He was going to be sick. Was the thought that flashed through his mind as he scrambled to the back seat of his car, struggling to find what he was looking for. Once the small bottle of pills was pulled from the depths of a bag. Armin forced two into his mouth and drank deep from a can of pop. The carbonated drink burning the back of his nose as he choked in his haste, practically spitting up what he'd just taken. Luckily, the pills had stayed down.

“Fu~ck,” He gasped, rolling his head up to start at the dimly lit stars, his body shaking from his fear and anxiety.

All he could think about was how he was going to be punished for letting another person die. He was supposed to be the Doctor's nurse. The best of the best, the Doctor had said, if he wasn't the best, then. He shuddered at the thought. The Doctor would punish him for being a bad nurse. Then he'd be locked back into the darkness. He didn't want that, but there was a dead man in his trunk. A dead man he was supposed to take care of because he was hurt. He failed. He was bad and the bad people should be punished. But he was alone, no one was there to punish him. Alone meant that no one knew. No one had to know. He couldn't be punished if no one knew. They wouldn't put him back in the darkness.

As long as no one knew the man had died.

“Gotta get rid of it all.” He said under his breath as he pushed himself off the side of the car and began to retrieve the items he needed from the trunk.

Digging a hole was the worst part. The ground was hard because of the lack of precipitation and he was not the most fit individual. Not to mention, it was dark. He didn't particularly like the darkness but he couldn't leave a corpse in his trunk, not with the heat of summer bearing down on them, so he had to dig a hole. It took almost the whole night to shovel out enough dirt out to fit a full grown man but he'd successfully done it.

Then came the second worst part, getting the one hundred and eighty pounds of dead weight into a small hole. He could have sworn it took at least an hour to get it out of the trunk and then drug over to the hole. It was a pain to do and he almost gave up but eventually he was able to put it comfortably into the hole, where he could bury it. Once he was finally done, he climbed into his car and drove away as fast as he could, the fear eating at him till he was a blubbering mess. Then to make it worse that Truck ran him off the road.

Whoever was driving it, they definitely were trying to kill him. Armin wasn't stupid, if they had done it on accident they wouldn't have left him there. They would have called the police, got him help. Instead, he'd been left in the wreckage and found by an elderly couple, who'd seen the damage to the railing. If they hadn't found him, he'd of probably died. If he hadn't fallen to an ill-fated demise, he'd have just continued to his destination on on foot. Instead, he'd found himself stuck in a hospital, defenseless and paranoid. For a week and a half, he was stuck there, until the doctors were sure his injuries were healed enough. That was when he took off as fast as he could, regained all his items and began the long process of obtaining another vehicle.

He gingerly put his hands onto his stomach, where they glass had ripped him open. It ached and made him feel a bit dizzy at the thought of all the blood and placed his hand on the trunk lid to steady himself. Never had he been good with the site of the dead. The face of the man he'd buried made him nauseous.

“Armin? Is something wrong?” Eren's voice sounded causing Armin to slam the trunk shut, an impulse that had Eren looking slightly startled. “S-Sorry, did I scare you?” He said, while Armin quickly reopened the trunk, embarrassed that he'd been caught day dreaming.

“No, yes.” Armin said as he shoved the bags and food coolers, Eren had brought down, into the empty trunk. “Sorry. I just-am just a bit tired.” He said quietly, shutting the trunk normally, now that it was full. “Thank you for helping me.” He said, moving to put the drink cooler into the back seat, behind the driver's seat.

“No problem.” Eren said, leaning against the car as Armin watched him from the corner of his eye. He was a bit too close but Eren wasn't looking at him like the Doctor did, which kept him from being uncomfortable. “Thanks for offering me a ride, again.” He said, the sincerity in his voice was something Armin hoped he wasn't imagining.

“I quite enjoyed your company last time.” Armin said, shutting the back seat door and leaning against it, to look up at the sky. It was getting darker by the second and he could just feel the electricity in the air. “It's going to be a bad one.” He said softly, hoping that the storm wouldn't cause a natural disaster or something.

“Yeah.” Eren said, sounding a bit uncomfortable as he gazed up at the sky. “I hate thunderstorms.” He muttered under his breath causing Armin to turn his attention to him as he pulled himself off the car. “So, is there anything particular you want me to get from the store?” He said, not seeming to realize, Armin was looking his way. “I'm going to buy supplies for the trip.” He added when he seemed to finally notice Armin.

“You don't have to, Eren.” Armin said, not wanting to bother the other with such things. He could perfectly well take care of them both. There was no need for Eren to pitch in. “I told you, I can take care of it.”

“Hey, I'm not leeching off of you.” Eren retorted, scowling. “I'd like to be friends with you once we get to Trost. And that's not going to happen if I eat all your food.” He said causing Armin to huff in amusement.

He was elated that Eren wanted to be friends. They'd already exchanged numbers and everything. As far as he was concerned, Eren was already his friend but it couldn't be the same with normal people. You just didn't meet people and become instant friends. It's just weird but for Armin it was normal. It wasn't a well kept secret that he was weird, so it didn't really matter to him.

“Who says that?” Armin retorted smirking slightly at the determined look on Eren's face.

“I'm still going to buy stuff.” He said, looking at Armin like he was waiting for a fight.

“That's fine, I'm not going to stop you, but I'm not going to ask you to pick me up anything either.” He said, simply giving in to what Eren wanted. If Eren wanted a fight, he'd get it else where, since Armin hated violence.

“It looks like it's gonna start pouring any moment now. I better get going before it does.” Eren said after a moment of silence causing Armin to realize something.

“Wait!” He practically shouted as he scrambled into the front seat to the glove box. There he pulled out an umbrella and popped out of the open door, excited that he remembered it before Eren had left. “Here! Just in case it rains on your way there.” He said, practically shoving the light blue umbrella into Eren's hands. “If it starts thundering give me a text or a call and I'll come pick you up.”

“Okay?” Eren responded, looking dumbly at the umbrella as he turned and left.

Eren felt Armin's eyes on him until he turned the corner. It was weird, but he didn't really mind it. Not like he did when his sister would do it. He headed toward the grocery store he'd been planning on going to before he got side tracked. He thought about the things he had originally planned to purchase as well as some other things that he hoped Armin would like. The topic of likes, when it came to food, would have to be one he brought up, since they were traveling together. It'd be good if they knew about one anothers' likes and dislikes, as well as any allergies. He'd have to bring it up with Armin, just so he doesn't buy anything to make the other sick.

“I must be freaking lonely, to be thinking like this.” He said, realizing he was acting like they'd still see each other after they got to Trost. Armin did seem like he was interested in being friends, despite his odd behavior at times. “We barely know each other.” He sighed at his thoughts pushing it away as he began to shop.

Still, his mind wandered back to the man, who was giving him a ride. The thought of spending the entire trip to Trost with Armin excited him, for some reason. It put him in a good mood as he searched the frozen section for something to make for supper. Eren was not a cook. Never had he ever successfully cooked anything, so he always ate fast food or microwavable foods. One couldn't really go wrong with precooked foods, after all, but he wondered if Armin liked processed foods or if he was more into healthier foods.

“Is that guy following me?” He said, glancing at the man, who stood at the end of the isle.

He's been coming into the same isle as Eren for the past fifteen minutes. At first, he just brushed it off, it was a small store, after all. But now he wasn't so sure it was just a coincidence, considering every time Eren stood still he did and when he moved to the next isle he did the same. A part of him wanted to believe it was a coincidence. There's no way they would be interested in him, there was nothing suspicious about him. Taking another glance at the man, his eyes met the other's. A shudder ranked through him as he reached for a weapon that wasn't there.

“One of Them, again. Fuck,” He couldn't believe he'd forgotten his weapon back in the room. It had to be a coincidence, he wasn't going hunting, he had just decided to scout the area out and prepare for the next wave.

It was the worst possible scenario. To be weaponless out in the open, where They could approach him, he hadn't made such huge a mistake since he accidentally dated one of Them. He was mentally slapping himself for doing this, for messing up so badly. If this One decided he needed taken out, he was practically defenseless.

His breath hitched as memories of something he didn't quite remember floated to the back of his consciousness. It caused his heart to thump loudly against his chest, echoing through the hollow of his ears. His blood was boiling, he felt much too hot. It wasn't going to end well, he knew that, but if that Titan decided to attack. A shudder ranked through his body as he quickly made his way to the registers. His senses were consciously aware of Them following him. Going into the line beside his. A glare spread across his face, hoping that the bastard saw it and backed off.

Once he got through the line, he took his bags and quickly made his way out of the store. Taking a longer route than he'd done to get to the store. Staying on main streets so he wouldn't get lost and so there were witnesses. When he returned to the flop, he'd called his 'hotel room', he tried to knock on Armin's door to return the umbrella, but the young man did not answer. It was weird but he assumed that the other was asleep because he'd said he was tired. So, he decided to just return to his room. Once he put his snacks and drinks in the new bag he'd purchased, he went to the little kitchen area that the flop provided, though all it was was a small fridge with a sink and a stove, not much else.

As he turned on the stove he wondered if it would even work. Maybe it might explode and he'd die in a blaze of fire and ash. That thought seemed like it only happened movies, that it would be highly unlikely, especially with an electric stove.

Thunder rolled outside, loudly, shaking the windows as Eren shuddered. He truly hated Thunder storms. There really was no explanation as to why, he just absolutely despised Thunder. Rain, he could handle, even the flashes of lightning, but not the rolling sound that shook the very earth. It terrified him down to his core. Like it was a sign of something very, very, bad. It put him on edge, made him twitchy like some trigger-happy gunner.

To distract himself from the storm, and his twitches, he turned on his phone. Planning on sending Armin a text to see if he truly had the right number, he waited for his phone to load. The familiar tone of the home screen loading sounded and he no more than glanced at it and it went off, signaling he'd missed calls or texts. To his surprise his messenger box was full, all of them from his sister. Glancing through them, he walked over to the bed and plopped down onto the lumpy thing.

Most of the messages were a mixture of angry texts because he wasn't responding and others seemed apologetic for her anger, or sad over the fact he was ignoring her. He deleted them all, most of them without opening them, knowing what they were going to say. Moving to the missed calls he was surprised to see the last person who called him was his ex-girlfriend, Annie.

Just remembering her made his blood boil, but he pushed that feeling away, ignoring the fact she'd called him twice. The Second time only a few days ago and the First was a week or so ago. Instead, he looked over the other calls, taking in the number of times his sister called him compared to their Guardian.

It was unbelievable. There were over sixty calls compared to their guardian's twelve. She'd always been possessive of him when they were kids. He'd told himself that she'd grow out of it, that she would stop with this nonsense when she found herself a boyfriend. They were adults now but she still hadn't grown out of this behavior and to his dismay probably had yet to find a boyfriend to focus her obsessive nature on.

“Shit, she seriously left forty-six voice mails?” He muttered as he looked at his voice mail log, counting the number of messages she left. He could only imagine what they said as he began to listen to each one. Half of them were half a second long, which he assumed his sister had decided not to leave a message at the last minute. The other half were much like the text messages, rage filled words about how she was going to kick his ass and the other begging and weepy words that only he could induce into her. His heart ached slightly at the sorrow and pain in her voice but he remembered that she had agreed with their Guardian to send him away, so it washed away any guilt he may have felt for keeping his phone turned off.

“I wonder if I should just call her...” He muttered, tempted to just send a text but that would just lead to her calling him until he answered the phone. Instead, he sent Armin a quick text letting him know that he got his stuff and that he was back in the room, adding that he'd return the umbrella later. Once that was sent he went into his contacts and hit the call button beside his sisters name.

“Hello?” A voice said, sounding sleepy, like he'd awoken her.

“Hey, Mikasa.” He responded, listening to the gasp and the quick rustle of cloth, which he assumed was a blanket or some sort of cloth.

“Eren? Is that you?” She said, sounding like she was choked up with relief and other emotions, he wasn't sure of.

“Yeah. Sorr-” He tried to apologize, feeling bad that he'd waited so long to contact her, but she cut him off.

“Where are you? Why did you take off?” She said, her tone going from worried to angry in a split second. “You're such an idiot!” She said, her voice trembled with emotion, which she usually didn't display. “Why haven't you answered your phone!” She continued, a soft thump sounding through the receiver. The scolding continued and he sort of tuned it out. It was better to let her get it out of her system, maybe then they'd be able to have a decent conversation. It wasn't going to help him, if he starts trying to argue with her. “Eren, say something, please!” She said, finally calming down enough to realize Eren had been silent.

“Sorry, Mikasa.” He began, knowing that he had to chose his words carefully or she'd start yelling at him again. “I just didn't want to be locked up.” He said, as he leaned back and recalled how Mikasa and his guardian had tried to take him somewhere to get him 'help' but he'd jumped out of the car and took off. “You guys said, I was sick. Maybe I was, but I was scared too. You guys were just giving up on me.” He said lowering his gaze to the floor.

“That's not true.” Her voice was just above a whisper but he heard it and resisted the desire to snap at her.

“Yes, it is.” He said, his tone dull and emotionless as he recalled how neither of them tried to go after him, letting him go. “But, I'm getting better. I don't freak out as often, anymore. I have, almost, a complete control over my anger.” He spoke, his voice softening. “I'm even going on a road trip with one of my friends.” He added, knowing it was a partial lie.

“Friends?” That part seemed to interest her, mostly because he rarely got along with people and making friends was harder than making enemies, when it came to his temper. Even he was aware of how much the people around him tolerated his temper flares and other 'problems' as they'd called it.

“Yeah.” He sighed, knowing that he wasn't exactly friends with Armin yet, but not really caring at the moment.

“That's good. Um,” She seemed to be at a loss for words. “What's your friend's name?” He couldn't answer that. More, he didn't want her to know. They'd just met and he was going to be driving with him to Trost, he didn't want her asking questions that he couldn't answer. She seemed to pick up on his unwillingness to talk about Armin and let out a sigh. “Did you talk to Annie?” She said, changing the subject to something he didn't want to talk about even more. “She said, she called you a few weeks ago, but you didn't answer the phone.” She continued causing Eren to growl in annoyance because he already knew that.

“Why would I talk to her?” He said, checking the stove to see if it was done preheating, which it wasn't.

“Because she has something to say, obviously.” Mikasa retorted as though she was shocked Eren would say something like that. “She's worried about you, you know.” She added and Eren could only roll his eyes.

“That's a lie and you know it.”

“Are you still hung up on that incident in training?” Mikasa questioned and Eren knew she already had her answer so he stayed silent letting her continue. “It was just an exercise. It wasn't real, Eren.” Her voice continued causing him to roll his eyes at her words. He knew the difference between real and unreal. He isn't so lost in delusional hope that is instilled into humanity that he'd be fooled. “None of them knew you'd react that way.” She added as though she understood what went through his head as a woman, he thought he loved, tried to drive a twelve inch knife into his heat.

“You know, that's got nothing to do with it.” Eren said, feeling a bit betrayed that Mikasa was down playing the whole situation.

“I told her what happened to Clara, Eren. She doesn't blame you for freaking out like that.” Mikasa said sounding calm and soothing but her words froze Eren's blood.

“You-” He couldn't believe what he just heard. Mikasa had told his ex, the Titan, about what happened to Clara, his mother. His mother, not hers. He couldn't believe what she'd just said. “You told her, about Mom?” Eren said, feeling an anger bubble up inside of him as the thunder rolled again outside, the rain pelting harder against the window pane. He took a deep breath the air suddenly feeling far too hot for him as he tugged at his tee-shirt's collar.

“I did, only because she needed to understand, Eren. She needed to understand how you were scared and hurt.” She said, sounding a bit pained by her own words and the memory as she tried to explain. “I did it because you needed to-” Eren wouldn't hear it and silenced her with a shout.

“No, I didn't need!” His words were sharp and loud, slicing though what she had to say. “What gave you the right to tell the Titans about Mom, Mikasa!” He said, louder than he intended to. The sound of the thunder the flashes of lightning it was just like that day. It poked and prodded at the memories that were there but at the same time weren't. His body trembled with anger.

How could she do this. He thought fighting off the urge to hit something. It wasn't right, she had no right to do that, was all that kept playing in his head, causing his self control to melt into a gelatinous ooze of red hot anger. It wasn't Mikasa's or even Annie's fault. It was the things he couldn't remember. The anger he'd felt back then, when he'd lost his mother.

“Why would you tell Annie about My past but not ME?” He said, biting back his anger with all his might, not wanting to explode anymore than he already did. A particularly loud boom of thunder erupted from the skies outside and Eren felt his body attempt to go into 'fight or flight' mode. It was that sound that made him realize he'd been pacing the room with a nervousness that laid just beneath his rage.

“Eren, was that Thunder?” Mikasa said, the sound of worry inching into her voice as she realized what may be happening in Eren's mind. “Is it storming over there?” She said, in a tone that felt like she was trying to force him to speak to her. That tone she started using after they'd lost everything but each other. That tone, which Eren always, always, hated.

“So, what if it is!” He snapped, his anger getting the better of him. “It doesn't matter! Just tell me why did you tell Them about Mom!” He practically yelled into the phone, his grip causing the plastic to creak under the pressure. “They murdered her, Mikasa!” He practically cried losing control of his voice as he continued to shout. “Why would you tell Annie, a Titan herself, about that! How-” How could you betray me like that...

Was what he wanted to say, but bit it back because he knew that wasn't true. Mikasa hadn't betrayed him. It felt like it, of course, but he knew that it wasn't like that. And the mere fact he was able to stop himself from saying it should have been proof enough that his 'hunt' had helped him with his control issue. That he was getting better in his own way. She should be able to hear that in his voice, by the polite words he used, but all he heard was a disgruntled sigh escape her on her end.

“There are no such thing as Titans, Eren.” She said and he knew she missed his point completely.

“You don't understand. Do you, Mikasa?” The anger fell to the pit of his stomach, burning and boiling at the inner walls of the organ, making him feel sick.

She still couldn't see. Even after a Titan had stood right in front of her, trying to kill him. Even after, all the times they had to struggle to survive against them. Even after their Guardian, Levi, had taken them in, they still had to fight against Them. She didn't understand the constant threat, he was starting to think that she never would.

“Eren,” Her voice echoed softly into his ear but it sounded about as far away as their physical distance. “Where are you?” She said, sounding worried as he shifted to lean against the wall, staring at the stove. “I'll come to you, we can talk in person.” She said, the stern tone in her voice sounding like one his mother used to use when he'd hide himself away in a tree, when he was a child.

“No.” He said defiantly, mostly because he was going to Trost with Armin, so she didn't need to come out here, but also because he hated that tone when Mikasa used it.

“Why not?” The annoyance from when she answered the phone had floated back into his tone as he huffed.

“I won't come back, until you believe me.” He said, sounding more like a child than he meant to, but he didn't quite care anymore. The storm was passing and he was finally able to relax, despite his anger.

“I believe 'in' you, Eren. I believe you can overcome this whole obsession.” Those were hollow words, he could feel it. Words she had been taught to say to him from the books she read about his 'condition', but they fell on deaf ears. He didn't, couldn't, believe her words. “But right now, you sound like you've gotten worse, not better.” She said sounding mournful of her her admission.

“I'm getting better!”

“If you were getting better, you wouldn't be going on about 'Titans' like that.” She said causing him to grit his teeth at the scolding tone. “You're going to end up hurting yourself or someone else.” She added for what Eren saw as emphasis to her point.

“I said, I'm getting better!” He said, feeling it was completely true. He was getting better, even more so because he had a chance to make a friend, to be friends with someone 'normal'. To be normal. “I'm better, Mikasa. I even made a friend! Armin is smart and-and he's fun to talk to. He doesn't think I'm crazy, like the rest of you.” He said, realizing that he'd said the others name when Mikasa repeated the name with a strange tone of voice. The phone needed to die. It needed to disconnect at that moment but he was frozen. He didn't want to know what her next words would be. He knew what he next words were possibly going to be and he did not want to hear it.

“What if you have an episode and hurt him? What will you do, Eren?” She went there.

He knew that she would, but the 'I know you will, I just don't know when' tone made it sound like he would actually hurt Armin. That wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't let Mikasa tell him he would. They were the ones that would hurt Armin, but Eren knew he would, could, never hurt an innocent human. Armin was an innocent human.

“Go fuck yourself, Mikasa.” He said, hitting the end button. He then stared down at the phone, boiling over with emotions that had no outlet. “God dammit!” He shouted throwing his phone across the room, listening to the loud smack of it against the wall. Then the buzzing of it turning back on, after it was forcefully shut off by the impact. “I should've just continued to ignore her.” He grumbled turning to the stove, once again.

It was finished and he could begin to cook the food.

Armin had been dozing until heard Eren yelling over in his room at someone. He wasn't sure who it was or what they were saying because the walls muffled it but Eren sounded angry. That anger scared him. Quickly moving to the other side of the room, away from the shouts. He did listen to the faint sound of Eren's angry conversation, though, worried about what was going on. But when the sound of something hitting their shared wall echoed in his silent room, he shuddered and decided it was better that he didn't know.

His whole body recoiled into himself, pressing against the wall as though to get further away from where the noise came from. Something had upset Eren and a part of him wanted to go over to see what was wrong, but the other, more sensible, part of him told him to let Eren be. The anger would only be directed at him, if he did. That was not something he wanted, especially they were supposed to set out to Trost tomorrow. He was not going to ruin his chances of having some sort of company during this trip. Even if Eren wasn't the Doctor, even if he didn't want to be friends after the trip, despite what he said. He could let Eren be angry over there, even if he was worried. Braving the horrible storm outside would be better than going over there, he thought listening to the now distant rumbles of thunder and the constant pitter-patter of the rain hitting the world outside. It was soothing, the sound of the rain.

Surely, it'll go away soon. He thought looking up to the window, watching the water fall from the sky. It helped his mind wander as he moved to sit by the window, watching the wooded surroundings that were behind the hotel. It was a chance to let his mind wander away from itself, to forget about reality. It helped time pass and without realizing it, he'd stared out of the window for three hours. Not looking at anything in particular, just studying his surrounding, dreaming about how much better his world would be soon. The only reason he snapped out of his daze was a rough knock on the door. It caused his heart leap into his throat from the anxiety of it being someone, he didn't want to see. Cautiously, he went to his door and checked to see who it was before opening it. To his surprise, it was Eren. A bit of distress passed through Armin, the other didn't look angry, but that didn't mean he wasn't angry. The possibility of Eren still being angry or somehow being angry at him caused that fear to return.

“E-Eren? What's wrong?” Armin asked, ready to slam the door in his new friends face, if he so much as attempted to grab for him. Eren seemed to let his face soften. It almost looked like he was embarrassed, what with the way a light pink dusted itself across his nicely tanned cheeks.

“Ah, I made some food. Um, too much for one person.” He said, casting his eyes down toward Armin's feet. “You want to come eat with me?” He said, sounding unsure if Armin would say yes. The thought of Eren being angry left Armin in the instant that Eren looked up at him through his bangs. There was a tinge of sadness and loneliness in them that Armin could relate to and he was answering before he even realized.

“Sure,” He watched as Eren grinned in excitement. It amused Armin that he'd react like that from a simple acceptance of an invitation. “If it's okay with you.”

“I wouldn't have asked, if it wasn't.” It was a blink of a walk over to Eren's room and Armin was surprised by the simple meal that Eren had prepared in the motel kitchen.

He'd teased Eren, of course, saying he didn't see Eren as the type to be a very domestic person, which earned him an insulted look. The man then admitted that it was a frozen meal thing he'd picked up at a supermarket, causing Armin to laugh, despite saying that lasagna was his favorite. That earned him a pleased smile from Eren and they began to eat together. They two spent their meal time eating and talking about random things or in a peaceful silence. It was hard to keep up a conversation when you had food in your mouth but Eren sure did try, which lead to a lot of laughing from Armin.

“You're being a freaking angel. You know,” Eren said with a laugh causing Armin to feel his stomach lurch at the sudden fluttery feeling dancing within it. “For helping me out.” He was being sickly sweet and it was getting a bit annoying to Armin, but he wouldn't complain. He didn't mind compliments, even if he tried to be modest about everything in his life. To keep his pride, over his own modesty, intact, he bluntly responded to the words.

“I'm no angel, Eren.” Which was true. The only reason he was being nice to Eren was because he wanted the other's company. If he hadn't, then he wouldn't have even asked the man if he wanted another ride, he'd of simply left the cafe and never looked back.

“The second closest to one I've ever met.” Eren replied causing the butterflies, Armin couldn't quite remember swallowing, to dance harder in his stomach. “I mean, I've gotten rides from a wide range of people, but never have I ever met someone like you.” He said, shaking his head.

“You must have met some shitty people, if you think I am an angel.” Armin said, twirling the contents of his plate. He was far more intrigued over the feeling in his stomach than over the topic of the conversation or even the contents of his plate.

“You better believe it!” Eren said with a grin.

Then he began to tell the story of his horrid travel companions and what he went through before Armin had picked him up. It was mildly horrifying, so much so, Armin found himself absorbed into Eren's story. He only attempted to eat, when Eren paused to ask him if the food was 'crappy', which he responded with a quick shake of his head and a laugh. Eren seemed to live such an adventurous life or at least had one hell of an adventure, starting with his Guardian and sister ditching him at the meeting he went to for 'work' and then having to hitch hike across 'Wall Country' to get back to Trost. The drivers he'd ridden with went from eighty year old who couldn't see the roads, to crazy perverts that wanted 'favors' for their time, which Eren refused to even enter their car because of it.

“Then the fucker kicked me out of his car and I had to leg it, till I ran into you.” He said, ending his long tale of three months and Armin could only shake his head, completely stunned by the story.

“That sounds terrifying.” Armin said, honestly impressed with the story, Eren had probably strung together to entertain him. It just seemed so far fetched, that couldn't of really happened but he wouldn't expose his doubt, the other was smiling too brilliantly for him to do such a thing. Despite that, the whole story was something Armin could never see himself doing, though. He was a coward, at best, one who would be too afraid to walk alone at night, let alone hitch a ride with a total stranger. Though, the thought occurred to him that he did pick up a total stranger and give him a ride, which was probably just as bad as hitching a ride.

Arguing with himself, as he ate his food, he countered with the fact that he would have never done that, if he hadn't had the Doctor with him at the time. Well, the one formerly known as the 'Doctor'. He wasn't the real Doctor. Armin wished that were the case but he was only a substitute, one which was able to contact the Doctor for him, but a replacement none the less. But, now, he was sitting here alone with Eren, enjoying the other's stories.

That mistake he'd made with the former Doctor was the furthest from his mind. Though, at the same time right up front with the thought of how that could have happened to Eren, if he hadn't ran back into each other. The thought of what would have happened to Eren, if he'd been picked up by a bad person, made him worried and thankful that he hadn't been. Armin knew all too well how horrible people and the world in general could be to you. For Eren to not have to experience such a thing in his travels, was something that relaxed Armin's nervous heart a bit more.

“You really shouldn't be hitch-hiking.” Armin said, feeling like he was starting a fight but Eren simply looked at him quizzically. “I mean, what if the next ride you get is with a serial killer.” He said, worry lacing his voice as he looked into Eren's eyes. The response he got was a raised brow and a playful smirk, not something he expected.

“You're my next ride. Are you a serial killer?” Eren said in a slight taunting voice. It was obvious, to Armin, that he was joking with him, but it did make him stop to think about it.

What placed someone within the category of 'serial killer'? He'd never really thought about it or looked it up, there was never a reason to, but what he knew of serial killers made him wonder. There was nothing, he could think of, that would have made him a serial killer. His looks were average, he wasn't charming or charismatic. Though, he enjoyed the company of others, he couldn't really hold a conversation, let alone trick someone into trusting him. Yes, he has killed people before, but they all were accidents. He didn't want them to 'die'. With those 'accidents' resulting in death, it was possible that he could be one. Frowning at the thought, he pondered it a bit more before decided that if he didn't believe he was one, then he wasn't one. It was a simple as that.

“I don't think so.” He said realizing he'd gone quiet and Eren was looking at him with a sort of complex look. “I'm not a big fan of cereal.” He said, letting a teasing smile form on his lips causing Eren's eyes to widen at the joke.

“I cannot believe you made such a lame joke.” Eren said with a snort of a laugh as he shoved the last of his food into his mouth.

“You started it, besides, I like lame jokes.” He said, knowing that he already had told Eren that but the other simply continued laughing.

“You'd like my guardian. He's always making shitty jokes, too.” Eren said, chewing his food thoughtfully.

“Right, what about you?” He said, making what he hoped was a haughty sort of face. “Are 'you' a serial killer?” He said, watching Eren make a face at the fact his joke had been turned on him.

“To be a serial killer, you have to kill 'humans', so no,” Eren said with a small pout on him lips. “But I did kill a lot of people in video games as a kid and I even wrote a report on J.D.” He added and Armin could tell it was an attempt at a conversation change. He could tell, especially when one added it to the uncomfortable look in Eren's eyes. So, he took a bite at the one that seemed the most normal, considering he hadn't played a video game since he was thirteen.

“Whose J.D. Supposed to be and why'd you write a report on him?” Armin said, hoping he sounded really confused, because he'd never heard of the name before and one had to be well know to have enough information for a 'report'. Eren jumped at the subject change and went off, telling him about some serial killer and how horrible he was and how he'd gotten what he deserved. He told Armin all the details he'd put into his report, as if he'd written it yesterday. It all was really fascinating, but the man Eren spoke of horrified Armin.

The subject seemed to change several times through out their dinner, which seemed to have turned into a hangout session between the two of them. They chatted about anything and everything that crossed their minds. It was fun, just like it had been the first time they conversed. Eren even put the provided television on some stupid romantic movie, which they ended up changing because it was ridiculously sappy. They settled on a late night game show and tried to out do each other when the questions were asked.

“We should probably get some sleep.” Eren said, ending their long enjoyable visit, after Armin let out a large yawn, which he'd tried to hide. Armin then glanced at his phone to see it was a quarter to midnight.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” He said, standing, unable to believe that it was that late already. “I'll stop by at ten, is that late enough?” He said, pulling his shoe, which he'd discarded a couple hours ago, back on

“That's fine with me.” Eren said, not moving from his spot on the floor right in front of his bed. “Good night, Armin.” He said as Armin moved to walk out the door and Armin felt a slight lump in his throat.

“Night, Eren.” He said, swallowing the lump, keeping his eyes trained ahead of him as he left the room.

Once he was safely locked into the room, he slipped down to the floor, leaning on the door. His mind slipped back to their conversation and how much fun it was. That lump was in his throat, again. It would be over when they went to Trost. They'd probably go their separate ways, just as they had in Karanese. Armin would be all alone to search for the Doctor. It was an incredibly lonely thought. One he didn't like to think about, instead he tried to think of a way to stay with Eren. They were friends, well, would be once they got to know each other better. Friends meant they'd see each other, as long as they made the effort to. He wondered if Eren would as he got off the floor and began to strip down to his boxers.

“It doesn't have to be just 'until Trost'.” He muttered under his breath, knowing that he might scare his friend off if he tried too hard to be 'friends'.

His attention was diverted as he glanced in the mirror that hung beside his bed and saw how thin his body was, his bones jutting out in odd, unhealthily ways. The scars couldn't be seen from that distance but he glanced down looking at long lightly colored scars that seemed invisible thanks to the bad yellow and green bruising he still wore from the car crash.

Eren doesn't know about them, he thought tracing a particularly long one that rested along his side, till it got to the stitching on his stomach. If he ever found out, Armin knew he'd be disgusted by them and if he was forced to tell the story of how he got them, disgusted with him. It happened every time someone saw his body. Their faces were contorted with disgust. He pushed it away before he could imagine that look on Eren's face.

“If it does happen, I know he'll fit in the back, just fine.” He said with a smile playing along his face, while he pulled on his sleep shirt, letting it fall over his boxers. That was when he heard someone knocking. “Eren?” He wondered allowed as he moved to open the door, his thoughts causing him to throw caution to the wind. Instead of being greeted with Eren's radiant face, he saw white. A fist slammed into his gut, the pain making him want to vomit as the ground came to him, smacking his head violently onto it's cold surface.

The world whirled around him in a haze of blurry lights and sounds as he brain tried to make sense of what happened. He knew he'd been hit and the person, who hit him wasn't Eren. Couldn't have been Eren. He knew that he was in pain. That he was curled up in a ball on the floor, his face soaked in drool or tears, with the possibility that his stitched up stomach opened back up. What he didn't know was who had hit him. That was soon resolved, though, as his eyes focused and he saw a pair of familiar brown pointed boots.

“Hey there, where's your boyfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! So, I was working on plotting out the story and it got pretty intense during the next couple chapters, so I figured that I should give you a heads up, cause I don't want anyone to get upset over this story. I mean, it is about mentally deranged serial killers and stuff but yeah, so.
> 
> I've already changed the tags as you saw when you probably opened up the chapter or just began to read it. But I'm adding this as a secondary warning. The next chapter dances along the edge of the sexual assault/rape:non-consensual category. So, if that turns you off, I'm sorry but it's important for the future chapters of PainKillers. The scene isn't but the whole category kinda worked its' way into the story.
> 
> I hope to see you in the next PILL, if not! Thank you for Reading regardless!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I apologize for the long wait. I hope you enjoy the newest chapter and continue to be patient with me. I will continue to work on the Sixth Pill and hopefully get it out sooner than the year it took to get this one out.

# FIFTH PILL

It was dead quiet as Eren stared up at the ceiling. The two had parted over an hour ago and he knew that they both should be asleep by now, but his mind wouldn't shut off. Telling him he shouldn't have said this or he shouldn't have said that. That Armin could become suspicious of him. Suspicious for what, was Eren's response to his own thoughts. What would Armin be suspicious of?

There was nothing for Armin to become suspicious about and vise-versa. Though, it was understandable to feel this way as they'd known each other for less than forty-eight hours. But they got along well, surprisingly well. Maybe too well, but Eren wasn't going to deny that he liked that. He'd been at a disconnect with people for so long. Having someone that he felt something with was such a breath of fresh air.

The man's smile seemed addictive and contagious. His posture almost always described his mood, there was a genuine glimmer in the others eye that always seemed to catch Eren's interest. It had first been the conversation that had interested him, but now, Eren was excited to get to have the chance to get to know the man better. Still, there was something off about Armin today. It was like he was on edge, cautious, in a way that had made Eren somewhat nervous, himself. It didn't stop him from talking to Eren like they were long time friends, but there was just something.

The more Eren thought about it, the more he thought about it the more worried he became. He tried to tell himself it could have just been because of his accident and he was bothered by his injuries, but his mind told him that he could be worried that it wasn't a one-time thing. Either way, it worried him. Just what was wrong with Armin, who had been so relaxed when they first met.

It was making his head hurt. He didn't have the brains required to look ponder about the mind sets of others. Nor did he feel he had the necessary emotions to do so. People often told him he had come to be lacking in that department since his accident. It wasn't that he changed, not if you were to go by his memories. He was still the same person they knew before the memory loss. It was just that he felt empty. None of them understood what it was like to forget your own existence. You start from scratch and listen to people talk about how you were-there was always a disconnect to Eren. It was like they were telling him how to feel and if he tried to talk about it, they brushed his concerns away. It was apparently a common feeling for someone with amnesia. It happened so often he had decided that he wouldn't let them know he felt at all.

That became his normal and, eventually, it had started to be like he really didn't feel. A numbness had taken over him, when it came to his daily routine in Trost. No happiness. No sadness. Just empty, numb, and lifeless. He asked about the past often enough that people got tired of talking to him and started brushing him off. Friends cast him aside, like he was a burden, which only made him feel like he was losing what little 'self' he had left. Levi had said he was spiraling downwards and if he didn't get help that he'd end up doing something stupid, but he didn't care. He wanted to remember, to find out his reason to live. The belief that if he did, that numbness would go away. It still was frustrating to think about. Just the mere thought of how his life had been made him grit his teeth and wonder why he was even going back to Trost.

With a click of his tongue, he silently scolded himself. He didn't need to be thinking about this right now. What he needed was to get to sleep or risk over sleeping and having Armin banging at his door once again. Or worse, having his new friend leave him behind. That wouldn't do. He'd already traded his bus ticket in. He was going back to Trost, whether he wanted to head home or not. It wasn't like he had to. Just hang out in Trost for a few days with Armin. Make sure he's settled in and head back out on a next hunt.

For now, it was best that he just go to sleep. With that thought in mind he forced his mind to blank. Letting the silence slowly lull him to the boarders of sleep. However, just as he was about to fall asleep, there was a sudden popping or clapping sound. The Oh-so-Familiar sound echoed inside his room and throughout the building causing Eren's body to go ridged. Sleep completely left him as he realized it was gun fire. The distinctive sound that only someone trained to hear would understand. One who's been in the military and gone through police training would know what it was and not mistake it for a distorted noise.

That being said, he knew it was gun fire. He'd heard the sound of those type of shots many times in his life. His mind wandered back to the vague memories of the Fall of Shinganshina and then to his required time in the military. Despite being free from it for a good two years, he could still hear the rapid fire of battle. His heart rate sky rocketed as he told himself, he wasn't in a war-zone. Though, that didn't matter, he knew that anywhere could become a battle ground. No where was safe from the enemy. No one was safe anywhere.

With that thought another shot rung out, giving him motive to move from the bed, placing his hand onto his phone to take it with him. The shots were coming from above, them being on the bottom floor. He could hear it now, the distinct sound of a fight going on above and the sounds of a terrified scream. A woman? A child? Eren couldn't tell, but he wanted so badly to race up there and save them but a third shot rung out and he knew that he would just find them dead and a battle he'd lose.

His eyes instantly went to his knife. It was a simply hunter's knife a six inch blade with a serrated edge on the back for trimming and a smooth edge for slicing. The blade itself was covered with a pure leather sheath that matched the hilt with it's fancy leather bindings. It had been a gift from his father and mother when he turned twelve. It wasn't the type of weapon you'd want to use in a gun fight.

A knife won't be much help in a gun fight but he didn't intend on fighting. Not as long as he could get to Armin and get out of here before the shooter caught them. Quickly dialing an emergency number, Eren slipped out of the room, his bag on his back and his knife at hand. When they answered, he quickly told them about the shots and screams he'd heard. Saying he was going to his friends room to hide before he stopped just short of the room marked, Eight. It was across the hall from his and Armin's rooms. The door positioned between the two of them. He quickly took a look into the room. It was barren, no signs that anyone had been staying in the room.

Deciding that it was safe to pass, he passed while continuing to talk to the operator in a hushed voice. His mind raced at the thoughts of what was going on. Was the shooter on the second floor or this floor. Who were the victims? What was the shooter planning to do? Were they going to shoot anyone else. That last question was answered shortly as he thought it as a shot rung out on the same floor he was on, but around the corner in another room.

Cursing, he rushed over to Armin's room. He listened to the operator tell him police were on the way, but they continued by telling him that he needed to go back to his room and that his 'friend' would be fine. All Eren could think was 'like hell he was going to listen to that'. He'd done that once before in the past. By following the orders of his superior his comrades had died right before his eyes. Not even his commanding officer had survived. For some reason that was all he could think of at that moment. The site of their dead faces as the Titan stood over them. There was no way he would go through the same mistake. He wasn't going to hide, while he didn't know Armin was safe or not. He wasn't going to have a repeat of last time. When he got to the door, he checked it and was shocked to find it unlocked. He could feel his heart beat quicken in a panic. Why would he leave his door open, when there were obvious shots being fired in the building.

“I have to go,” He said, despite the protests of the operator as he glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was coming. His heart leap into his throat, at the thought of going through that door, of what he may find. Silently hoping that he'd find a Armin asleep, though he would have to be a very heavy sleeper to sleep through gun fire. "Armin," He whispered, knowing that Armin could have very well been the one to take one of the shots he heard.

“Eren,” A voice said sweetly from behind him causing him to tense. “Nice to finally meet you.” As he went to turn to face the source of the voice, knife at the ready, he felt something hit the small of his back knocking him off balance, causing him to lose grip on his knife and fall to the ground. The sound of the knife skittering across the floor was the only sound he registered as he tried to move forward but the sound of a gun cocking caused him to freeze. “Don't move or your brains will be all over the floor.” He did as he was told feeling the butt of the gun press against his bare back.

“Did you kill them all?” A voice sounds from the doorway. Eren turned his eyes to the door the best he could with a gun pointed at him. A shadowy man stood before them staring at Eren with a dull gaze.

“Yeah, what do you take me for?” The other spoke as he tied Eren's hands together with some sort of plastic tie. Eren grimaced and look back at the bastard that kicked him into the room. To his utter horror, it was the Titan that had been following him earlier that day, at the supermarket. “My fucking silencer broke, though,” He sighed running his fingers through sandy locks like he was frustrated with the events of his evening.

“Faulty equipment,” The other said as the Titan shoved Eren's face into the ground again, when he caught Eren staring his partner. “It happens.” At that moment his phone began going off in his pocket. With a scoff, his phone was removed from his pocket, by the Titan and tossed to the man in the doorway. “It's the emergency operator." The man said dropping the phone in front of Eren as a gag was forced into Eren's mouth. He then slammed his foot down onto the phone, shattering the screen with ease that had Eren shuddering. “So, anyway, is this the guy you were looking for,” He said, like they hadn't just smashed his smart phone and shot up a hotel. He looked like he down right enjoyed every moment of it. It made Eren a bit sick to his stomach. How could someone, even a Titan or a Marlyan, take pleasure in doing this.

“He is.”

“Great. Tie him up and let's go. We need to get moving, before the locals show up.” He walked out of the door as he spoke as if he had little to care about in the world.

“Yeah, Yeah,” The Titan commented, sounding obviously annoyed by being told what to do, as he tied Eren's arms and legs up, with Eren struggling the whole time. “Just give up.” The Titan's piercing green eyes shimmered with hatred at he held up a black bag. “This is what happens when you go around killing our people.”

And with that his vision was surrounded by darkness. Panic swept through him as he jerked, kicking and fighting to get away and get the bag off his head. There was a sharp pain in his stomach causing Eren to realize he'd just been kicked. The feeling continued to ripple through him as he groaned through the binding in his mouth. He could feel the saliva starting to soak into the foul tasting thing, making him want to barf.

He tried not to think of where it had been as he felt himself being forced to walk forward, his tied legs, making it difficult to do so. No matter how he struggled, the man didn't seem to even have to shift his weight to hold Eren in place and push him forward. The sound of his captors steps were clear in his head, heavy and hollow, they weren't the steps of a human at all.

They thundered in his brain making him remember the day Shinganshina fell all over again. A sort of helplessness washed over him as he recalled his child self. The frustration of not being strong enough to save his mother. The lost look on Mikasa's face. She'd just lost her second mother. Her second family unraveled right in front of her that day. No tears, just that dead look he hated seeing on her face. It made him sick. He was a good fighter, trained in defensive and offensive tactics, making it to the top of his class in training, but-He couldn't take on two Titans at one time. Not alone. It was a suicide mission. He wasn't strong enough.

And that pissed him off more than the fact that he'd let himself be captured.

“What were you planning on doing to Armin.” He was forced forward, tripping over a step that may have been the door way as his captor spoke in a hushed voice. He couldn't be sure but the cool that hit his skin made him believe that they'd taken him outside. The night was eerily quiet, the only thing he could hear was the buzzing of the motel's sign. It was a sickening sound that he focused on to keep himself grounded and calm. “Planning to kill him like you did my father?” He continued giving Eren a rough shoved as he stumbled over what he could only assume was the curb. “Or maybe my sister,” He said with a hitch in his voice. “My eight year old sister, who was innocent,” He said as though he was truly upset by the event, which Eren had no knowledge of.

Eren never, would never, kill a child. That wasn't a part of in agenda, so why would this psycho think otherwise?

“I'm going to make you pay.” “I'm going to watch them gu-”

“Quit your whining,” The other male said in a grumble of a voice that sounded more like a growl than human words.

“Fuck you!” He shoved Eren again shouting as he went. “Keep moving, you bastard! Why were you after him anyway, Marcus? He's on schedule.” The one forcing him to move said and Eren wondered who they were talking about.

“Who cares, I just do as I'm told.” The tone was of annoyance and Eren could feel the grasp on his body tighten. Neither of them seemed to like one another. Storing that into his memory as he tried to focus his senses that were not distorted by the bag. “It's the bitch's own fault anyway.”

“Again-Fuck you!” Was the response he heard as Eren felt himself go weightless and hit something semi-soft but hard at the same time.

“You can let your bosses know I have them both,” He said as something heavy hit him in the back. Eren was sure it was his bag, by the way it clanked when it rolled off his shoulders and onto the ground, which meant, he could make an attempt to get a tool from his bag, but without being able to see he wouldn't know if someone was watching him or not.

“I won't let you have him.” The door slammed shut behind Eren but he could still hear them shouting at each other, arguing about something that didn't concern Eren. At the moment, he needed to come up with his next plan of attack. His first step would be to get out of the ties.

It would be very dangerous. The likelihood of him being caught was worth the risk, though, as they seemed intent on killing him either way. Silently, Eren hoped that they would be too busy arguing to see him go for the bag. All he needed to do was get into the front pocket of his bag. If he did that, then he'd be able to obtain his multi-tool and cut the ties and get himself out of there.

While he was trying to roll himself over he felt a hand on his shoulder. His whole body went ridged at the feeling of the thin fingers on his bare skin, making him wish he wasn't wearing a tank-top. There was a mix of surprise and panic as he tried to decide what to do next.

Had the Titan seen him going for the bag? If it had, then what would it do? Kill him right then and there, perhaps. Why was it just holding it's hand there.

“Eren.” A voice sounded as the hand left his shoulder, causing him to relax. It was Armin's voice. Armin was in here, he was alive, those thoughts gave him a very little comfort, considering the circumstances, but he was relieved that the other hadn't been shot in his sleep.

Though, Armin was here with him, which meant he'd been taken as well. For what reason, Eren hadn't the slightest clue. At the very least, he could understand why they'd come after him. Could they have just taken Armin as collateral? Maybe they'd seen them together and decided to use Armin against him. Those thoughts pass through his mind and made his temper across his conscious thoughts. He hadn't wanted innocent people to get involved, but he also hadn't thought that They would have caught up to him so quickly.

“Hey, are you conscious,” He heard Armin's voice ask. It sounded like Armin was concerned and worried, but there was an unfamiliar sound to his voice that Eren wasn't familiar. Eren couldn't put his finger on what it was but he assumed it was fear as he grunted. It was the only thing he could really do considering his mouth was currently occupied. “Don't do anything reckless.” Armin voice said in a hushed tone, as Eren felt Armin's hand moving his arms. “We can't let them see that we're trying to escape.” Armin's voice was soft, somewhat hazy, but it was definitely serious. Armin didn't do or say anything after that. He just kept his hands on Eren's arms. It was frustrating but it wasn't like Eren could do much of anything. Though, he wanted to tell Armin to get the damn bag off of his head and remove the gag. There had to be a reason Armin wasn't moving. They could be looking at them, or he was trying to study the binding. He could even be that tightly bound himself. There were many things that would explain his stillness. Eren couldn't waist time with waiting. First thing he needed to do was get out of his binds.

Eren wasn't listening to him. Thrashing about, trying to pull his hands from the plastic ties holding his hands together. It made him cringe at the thought of the edges cutting into his flesh, how much it hurts just to have them around his own wrists. That's why he didn't struggle, begged Eren not to struggle. It would only lead to pain. Bad things and pain.

This whole situation was bad and it was not supposed to happen. What were they even doing here? Armin was just trying to follow orders and go to Trost. That was the plan and sure he strayed a bit from it with the death of the Doctor and picking Eren back up, but it was for the best! This though, wasn't a part of it and he didn't have a plan for it.

How was he supposed to react to this, now, if he reacted poorly then it would just end up like back upstairs. It made him feel like a fool for letting his guard down. If he hadn't been stupid enough to open the door. If he had looked out the peep hole, then he'd have seen the two of them. If he hadn't tried to fight back and just went with it. Maybe he wouldn't feel like he got hit by a car, for the second time. It was stupid to try to run, the fear of seeing the two of them just made him panic. There was nothing he could do, other than go along with them. There was no Doctor to step in and explain the situation to them. His own mouth had betrayed him and refused to work properly to do it himself.

Even worse, now, Eren was mixed up in this. Why had they decided to take him, he couldn't even fathom a reason. Eren was innocent, wasn't involved in anything. A normal man, trying to make his way home after getting into a fight with his family. There wasn't a reason to take him or anyone for that matter. Even if there was, such a brash, crude, method as killing everyone else in the building was foolish. They wouldn't get away with it. It wasn't possible with out a major cover up. They didn't have the resources for it yet.

The skin on Eren's wrists was starting to tare and made him cringe at the sight, distracting him from his thoughts. He had to get Eren to stop struggling. It would only make their captors mad, if they saw his injuries.

“Stop, Eren. This won't help you. You'll only rip your skin open like that,” He said looking around the car, hoping that he could find something that would remove the bindings. “I-I'll think of something to get us out.” But what could he do, was the thought in his mind. Eren was so restless, obviously panicked. Struggling with his binds, letting the blood drip down his wrists. There was a tension in his muscles as he shifted his wrists, as though he was testing the space his wrists had to slip out of. Armin began to ponder if Eren was doing this intentionally to help slip his hands out of the binds. The only problem with that was the ties were too tight to do such a thing with.

Eren let out a frustrated grumble of muffled words that sounded much like curses to Armin's ears. It was like he was a trapped animal, ready to attack anything thing that threatened him. It was unwise to act without a plan, though. So, maybe Eren did have a plan and all Armin needed to do was to release. But, would he be able to follow through with the orders. It was difficult to say. The men out there were not your average kidnappers. His eyes went to the men. They were two people he'd hoped to never see again. They seemed to be arguing over something. Even seemingly on the verge of fighting each other. It was so much like how he remembered them. Though, they had never met before now, but he had theorized that their personalities would clash. With the way they were arguing, not caring about witnesses, it seemed his theory was correct.

What did he know, though, Marcus had thrown him off the road with ease, like the ruthless mercenary he was. Armin had known him since the very beginning of his stay with the Doctor. The bastard had pretended to be a doctor and 'take care' of him back in Trost. It had been a hellish four months. No one believed him about what that bastard was doing to him and to other patients. Then when he had been 'released' that bastard was the one to drive him off, taking him to the real Doctor.

Though, he only had spent time with him off an on after that, Marcus still held the same demeanor.

Then there was Sohma, the Doctor's son and someone that Armin had known quite well. He'd been there from day one of Armin's stay at the Doctors. He was only six or so, so sweet and innocent. The way he and his friend had been at that age. He knew no wrong and everything was right in his eyes. Armin had been his 'Big Brother', despite Armin's detest to it. It wasn't until he'd turned thirteen did he go off to train for the Marley army. It disgusted him to see the boy now.

Sohma had definitely changed. To Armin, he looked much older than the sixteen years of age, he should have been. The bright mind was worn down and shaped to how the service wanted him to be. He obviously had a strong sense of what he wanted to be right and what he wanted to be wrong. But, the most striking change, however, was his eyes. More specifically, the look in his eyes. That once sweet, innocent, look of a child was completely gone. Cold, emotionless, and knowing eyes that looked at him now reminded him of how Armin had felt the day he had realized why they'd taken him. What they planned on using him for. Not that it mattered to him now. It was still painful to see in someone he'd once seen grow up like this.

It was clear to Armin that Sohma was now his enemy.

A slam of a fist on the hood of the car caused both Armin and Eren to flinch. It was a bad partnership, from how the fight was going. If they were still the same as they'd been when he'd known them, their personalities would clash. Sohma was a control freak, needing to be in control of the decisions for everything in his life, while Marcus was used to being in control of a situation, crushing anyone who dared try to get into his way. Neither was used people challenging their authority. Nor did they deal well with it. All he had to do was create tension using their need to control the situation 'their way' and a conflict would arise quite quickly between the two of them. Surely, it would give him a chance to escape, but-

Stupid, he scolded himself. Here he was using his brain, when there was no point. All he was good for was doing as he was told. The Doctor told him that using his brain would only get him into trouble, so he should just be a good boy and follow any and all orders. Which he did down to the very last detail for years. That's why he was the Doctor's favorite. Just because the Doctor was gone, didn't mean he could start using his brain. Still, the stupid thoughts crawl back into his mind. Thoughts an obedient, mindless, warrior shouldn't have.

Stupid. Pathetic. He thought again, scolding himself. These were the thoughts that would only lead to trouble, keeping him from Trost for even longer.

“Oh, shut up!” He heard the muffled shout of Marcus. The cringe was an automatic response, but he could hear Sohma shouting back at him.

“We-I need to find a quicker way of getting away.” He explained, turning his eyes to Eren, knowing that he was listening to him and waiting for Armin to do something.

And he wanted to to. He then looked up at the ignition to see the keys dangling there. Complete confusion hit him. Why did Sohma leave the keys in the ignition? What kind of mistake was that? Could it be a trap? Sohma wouldn't be so stupid, but if he could move fast enough, then maybe–

“The keys are in the ignition.” Eren jerked at his words as he moved Eren off of his legs. “I'll try to,” He said, not finishing

It was obvious that it was a trap, but what other choice did have. he needed to jump into the front seat. There was no time to think of a better plan. He doubted that he would be able to, not with his mind so jumbled and panicked. So, he was going to just drive away, Sohma and his gun be damned. If he could just get into the seat and start the car, he could get out of here before they had time to react. These thoughts pushed him to move forward to climb between the seats, he was almost to the drivers side when the light turned on over head and Armin froze.

“Now, that's a bad little boy.” A voice said as there was a volt of pain hitting him like being struck by a car.

His muscles ceased up in his throat as he tried to let out a choking cry of pain but his mouth refused to open. It was a familiar kind of pain that had his body going ridged and falling into the passenger seat. The muscles in his throat felt like the flesh was being burned off, all while his was being held down by a weight that was nothing but his own body locking up. It was similar to being tazered, something he had experienced many times. There was a control collar around his neck. When had they put it on, was a thought that passed through his mind as he struggled to stay upright, which didn't seem to work as he felt his body twitching unable to do what he wanted. It hurt as he gasped for breath that didn't seem to come as he stared up at Marcus, grinning up at him.

“You made a good attempt though,” Marcus said as Armin gasped for breath as the pain radiated through him. “As for you-” Armin tried to protest as he feebly reached out to Marcus, who had turned to Eren. All that he got out of that was his hands knocked away. “Say Goodnight.” Armin couldn't sit up fast enough to see what was going on but he heard Eren let out a yelp of pain and he had a feeling that he knew what happened. Saliva dripped out of his mouth as he fought to breath. It would just have to stay there. The shock was still going through his system in a constant stream.

“Get the truck to the fucking cabin.” Marcus said climbing into the drivers seat. Armin heard Sohma say something in protest, but there was no response as the door was slammed shut. The last thing Armin heard was Sohma screaming that he was calling their boss about this before they drove off and he passed out.

Eren came back to consciousness feeling dizzy, his mind was nothing but a haze of confusion and pain. He could recall a hard wack to the side of the head and vague gasps of pain, but nothing more. It was hell forcing his eyes open. They felt heavy and his mind had a dark haze which made it hard to distinguish if he was fully awake or not. Just how did he get here?

He remembered arriving at that run down town. Eating lasagna with Armin in the hotel. Then what? His mind was drawing a blank. Moving his arms, he found that he could barely shift his arms from behind his back and a tight pinching band seemed to be around his wrists. What had he done to get here? After a few moments of slow blinking and deep breaths, he found himself taking in an unfamiliar and dimly lit room. The walls seemed to be rough-cut wood, washed out to an ugly gray. There were no decorations or fancy home decor. Just a bed that was set in front of him and whatever he was tied to.

Over all, it looked old and uninhabited for a long time. Filthy.

“You-'re-awake,” A voice struggled out, distracting Eren from the area around him as he saw movement in the shadows. His body tensed, ready to fight, despite knowing he was in no position to do so. When he saw it was Armin his body relax slightly.

Armin had seemed to be cuffed to the bed and spotted a few new bruises then remembered. That wasn't right. When did he get those? What were they doing in this place. It was all coming up blank for Eren as he turned his head to get a better idea of what was going on. Moving his head the way he did seemed to be a very bad idea, considering the sharp pain the struck the side of his head. It was about as bad as someone taking a pick ax to his skull. A small groan escaped his lips as he closed his eyes, trying to will the sudden pain away.

“Ar-are you okay?” Armin's voice called out softly as Eren cracked an eye open. Armin was looking right at him with a worried expression. Though, Eren thought there was more than just worry reflecting in his eyes. There was a clear reflection of pain there as well, dark bags had come to rest under his cloudy eyes and made it seem like he hadn't slept in days. His face no longer had any color and he looked sheet white, with an obvious sheen of sweat down his face. Such a drastic change in him, made Eren shudder.

What was wrong with him? What did they do? He tried to speak, to ask Armin if he was okay, knowing that the man was not, but it came out garbled, muffled by the gag that was in his mouth. Shushing him, Armin motioned to the bed that he was leaning against with a shaky hand. There was a shadowed figure of someones body lying on the bed, their breath coming out in and out in a light snore, could be heard if he focused on it.

One of their kidnappers had the galls to sleep in the same room as them. It was unbelievably stupid of him, but at the same time, what could either of them have done. Eren had been unconscious and Armin looked like he was about to drop dead any moment.

The two sat in silence, for a moment, as Eren worked to clear his head and figure out the situation. Over all, he came to the conclusion that he was tied to the chair with plastic ties. While Armin had been cuffed to the bed by his legs. His good arm was gripping the foot post with a death grip while the other arm hung limply at his side. There was no other sounds besides the birds out side and Armin's labored breath. The Titan then suddenly let out a groan causing the two to jump. Slamming his hand on his pillow, he pushing himself up looking at the wall in front of him.

“Fucking dream,” He moaned as he collapsed back onto the bed, staring at Armin, who was looking at him through the metal bed frame, with a sleepy expression. “Armin, come cuddle with me,” He said sounding like a child, holding his hand out to Armin who lowered his head as though to hide himself. When Armin didn't move from that position the Titan dropped his arms and let out a sigh. “So stingy.” He shifted in the bed to look at Eren like it was an after thought. The sleep instantly flew from his eyes when he saw Eren glaring back at him. “Fuck, when did he wake up,” He said, his voice rising to a startled scream causing Armin to flinch, cringing away from the bed only for him to collapse onto the ground. "Fuck," He said again as he jumped from the bed, moving toward Eren only to look back at Armin. A strange expression crossed the Titan's face as he stared at Armin as he reached out for the man.

Eren wanted to scoff at the way he tried to gentle help Armin up, but the young man was refusing his help. Maybe it was out of stubbornness or because he was afraid, he forced himself away from the Titan. “Are you still hurting, Minnie,” He said, lifting Armin's head up in what seemed like a gentle manner. Armin simply let out a groan of displeasure at being moved against his will, though, shifting away letting his head fall back to the ground. “You're freezing,” He muttered sounding amused by the condition Armin seemed to be in. “I got some sweats you can wear. Here, I'll help,” He said grabbing Armin's arms, pulling him to his feet. The groan of pain that escaped Armin's lips, when he was forced to stand, made Eren's blood boil. How dare that bastard hurt Armin. Couldn't he see that they weren't fighting to get free, they weren't screaming at him or acting defiant. The man looked like he was about to faint as he was forced to put on the pants. “You seem really warm too. What the fuck did he inject you with,” He said, more to himself, as he let go of Armin, watching the blond try to stand on trembling legs.

“I-sorry, Sohma,” Armin muttered turning his head to the side, hiding his face behind his long locks as his body fell back against the foot board of the bed. “Sorry-” His voice trailed off as he slid down.

Sohma. Was that this person's name? Eren thought looking at the man with a cold look in his eyes.

“It's fine. You're not feeling well. I understand,” He spoke softly, brushing his fingers through Armin's hair, but Eren caught the way Armin tried to move away. This caused the Titan to pull a few strands of hair behind Armin's ear, exposing a black band that was wrapped around Armin's neck. “I have to call Zeke, I'll be right back,” He said before leaning closer to Armin, so his mouth was right against the blond's cheek.

The way the other male's body froze, showed Eren that Armin did not like how close they were or the physical contact of the man's hand that went to his knee. The Titan was telling Armin something that greatly displeased him, obviously, but Eren was in the dark. Was he trying to pit them against each other? Or was he just trying to scare Armin. Maybe both. Before pulling away Eren saw the Titan look at him, still inches from Armin's neck and ear, the grin that spread across his face was enough to fill Eren with disgust.

'To piss him off' was another thought that passed through his mind. Eren went to say something, not caring if it was muffled, but stopped when Armin looked at him with a dead expression. It was like he was there physically, but he wasn't actually 'there'. A light of realization flickered over Armin as he lifted his head slightly.

“Eren,” His eyes rolled and his head fell back onto his good arm and he let out a sigh. “I-fine,” Armin said quietly as he curled up in a ball, his body trembling. “Shocked-too-mm-” It was obvious that he was trying to explain what was wrong but he wasn't able to make much sound. “Not-dead,” He said with a breath that sounded like it could be a laugh. “I'm still alive,” He sighed letting his eyes stare blankly at Eren. “Tired-though.” He let his eyes close after a moment of silence and let out a sigh. It was silent and a flicker of panic ran through him.

Did Armin just pass out? He thought, noting Armin's ragged breath. What exactly had they done to him, while he was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! It was freaking hell, to try and write this. I had it completely written with the scene, I had warned you guys about, and every thing, then my computer crashed erasing everything. I was so mad I put it on hold. Then I kept trying to rewrite it but I couldn't get the original feeling back. So, I cut a lot out of the chapter. Then my page count dropped down to like six pages. I tried to add to it and make it worth reading. I plan on getting the story moving. I won't change the Archive warnings and take the rape warning away because the story will mention things along those lines later on in the story. And, again, I apologize.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, be it a bit shorter than the others. Leave a comment or Kudo, if you want. Love you guys!


End file.
